Local reservoirs can be important spots for divers to work and train, as two different stories in the news show us. In the Northeast, we have the example of the New Jersey State Police, who use the area of the Round Valley Reservoir to perform diving drills under the freezing cold water.
The Express Times reports that the extreme temperatures bring some special environmental challenges that commercial diving insurance packages might need to address. This includes low visibility in such spaces and the way that even the best equipment might react to prolonged exposure to the cold.
According to the source, the reservoir offered the team of officers the chance to simulate what it would be like to perform a rescue operation in the middle of a frozen body of water.
The extensive amount of preparation needed to sustain even a timed practice run like this includes gear like air pumps, hoses, helmets and lights. These items were implemented to help keep the exercise on target and in operation.
On the other side of the country, in San Francisco, the SF Gate reports on how reservoirs are a site for a different kind of diving work: cleaning. While they aren't working under ten inches of ice, the divers tasked with keeping the different reservoirs in the area functional and safe are also dependent on precisely managed equipment. This includes disinfecting their gear and making sure they can survive the lower temperatures at the bottom.
Meddling with reservoir water can be a dangerous proposition, so no matter what your divers are headed down there to do, make sure they are covered by adequate diving insurance.