Thousands of law enforcement officers across the United States will be on heightened alert for those violating boating under the influence laws during the annual Operation Dry Water weekend, which takes place June 30 – July 2, 2017.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Boating Enforcement Unit will be participating in this effort to control buzzed boating by patrolling Shaver Lake, Pine Flat Lake and the Kings River.
Operation Dry Water is a nationally coordinated heightened awareness and enforcement campaign, focused on deterring boaters from boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Alcohol use is responsible for 15% of boating fatalities, making it the leading contributing factor in recreational boater deaths and a leading factor in recreational boating accidents. Just like driving a car, the legal Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) limit for a person operating a vessel is 0.08%.
According to the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, in 2016, 538 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and USCG units participated in Operation Dry Water. It resulted in 367 Boating Under the Influence (BUI) arrests.
Environmental “stressors” such as wind, noise, and the movement of the boat while on the water intensify the effects of alcohol or drug use on an individual while boating. Boaters can become impaired more quickly on the water than on land. For more information on Operation Dry Water, please visit www.operationdrywater.org
Due to public safety concerns, the Kings River, from Pine Flat Dam to the Tulare and Kings County lines, continues to be closed to all recreational users. The Sheriff’s Office is strictly enforcing this closure and violators will be subject to citations. This infraction comes with a fine of $225.00.
As you recreate in waterways this summer, the Sheriff’s Office would like to remind you to be safe while doing your activities. Take simple precautions such as: Wear a life jacket, stay close to shore if you’re not an experienced swimmer and do not mix alcohol and swimming. Alcohol causes swimmers to fatigue faster than normal and can create dangerous situations. Also, please keep an eye on your children at all times. In less than a minute they can slip into the water and be put at risk for injury or death.
