GA DNR Game Wardens to Participate in Operation Dry Water this Weekend

The July 4th holiday often means time on the water for boaters across the United States.

With an increased public presence on the water, there is also an increase in the number of boating incidents and fatalities that take place during this time.

From July 2 – 4, Georgia DNR Law Enforcement, in partnership with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and the U.S. Coast Guard, will be participating in the national Operation Dry Water heightened awareness and enforcement weekend.

Law enforcement agencies from across the country will be focused on educating boaters about safe boating practices, which includes sober boating.

Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in recreational boater deaths, according to DNR Law Enforcement.

Over the course of the July 4th holiday weekend, Georgia game wardens, like DNR Law Enforcement officer Craig Fulghum, will be working to increase public awareness of the dangers of boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs, for both operators and passengers.

“Because of the volume of people, they’re going to have to restrain from alcohol and driving a boat or doing drugs. There’s just no place on this lake for adding alcohol or drugs and getting behind the wheel,” he asserted. “It’s a recipe for disaster. Stats do not lie.”

He said over half the boating incidents in the State of Georgia and nationally involve alcohol.

“So, if you drink alcohol (while boating) you just increase your chances of being involved in an incident twice over and that’s a big deal. The laws are exactly the same on the water as they are driving on the road. The fines are the same, having to retain a lawyer, you’re probably looking somewhere in excess of $10,000 because of a choice you made that could have been avoided,” Fulghum pointed out.

Boating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is equally dangerous for the boat operator and for the boat passenger.

The federal BAC legal limit for operating a vessel under the influence is .08.

Georgia has a zero-tolerance for impaired boating, and if caught you will go to jail.

Fulghum recommends that, just as you have a designated driver when drinking on land, you have a “designated skipper” if you plan to have alcohol on your boat.

Operation Dry Water is a year-round boating under the influence awareness and enforcement campaign with the mission of reducing the number of alcohol and drug related incidents and fatalities through increased recreational boater awareness and by fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol and drug use on the water.

Visit operationdrywater.org for more information about boating under the influence.