The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will be participating in Operation Dry Water, June 26-28. Operation Dry Water is a national weekend of Boating Under the Influence (BUI) education and enforcement directed toward reducing alcohol and drug-related accidents and fatalities.
Operation Dry Water is held on the weekend prior to the Independence Day (July 4) holiday to give BUI enforcement high visibility during the peak boating season. The TWRA is teaming with the U.S.
Coast Guard and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). Operation Dry Water is being held for the seventh year after being started by the NASBLA in 2009.
TWRA boating officers will saturate high traffic areas on reservoirs across the state. Along with the use of life jackets and other safety practices, officers want boaters to be aware of the effects and ramifications of alcohol use. The TWRA will be intensifying efforts to detect and apprehend boat operators who are operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In 2014 during Operation Dry Water, there were eight boating under the influence (BUI) arrests across the state and four other arrests. TWRA boating officers checked more than 2,100 vessels, issued 74 citations, 59 warnings and assisted 36 boaters.
Operating a boat with a Blood Alcohol Content of .08 percent or higher is illegal in Tennessee, the same as operating a motor vehicle. Penalties may include fines, jail, boat impoundment and the loss of boat driving privileges.
Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boater deaths. Sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion intensify the effects of alcohol, drugs and some medications.
For more information on Operation Dry Water, visit www.operationdrywater.org.