Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will be participating in Operation Dry Water, June 27th-29th.
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 July 4th holiday to give BUI enforcement high visibility during the peak boating season.
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 2013 during Operation Dry Water, there was one fatality, a boating accident in Montgomery County which claimed the life of a 21-year old Clarksville woman.
TWRA boating officers checked close to 3,400 vessels, issued 180 citations, and made 10 BUI arrests during last year’s Operation Dry Water.
The BUI arrests were a decrease of nine from the 2012 weekend.
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.
Statistics show that more than 20 percent of boating-related fatalities are a result of alcohol use. 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
