LODDON Mallee residents are falling victim to waterways they "know and love", according to Life Saving Victoria data.

LSV said it was a "grim reality" that more than 80 per cent of drowning victims in Loddon Mallee were not visitors but locals.

The lifeblood of the region’s agriculture is the most common location for drownings – dams.

LSV manager of research and evaluation Dr Hannah Calverl...