Operation Dry Water Wants To Prevent Boating Accidents

The highest number of Boating While Intoxicated (BWI) arrests are made on Lake Minnetonka and officials are trying to crack down on them.

The 2017 boating season has been the most deadly since 2005, with nine boating fatalities already recorded in the state.

You can expect public safety agencies, including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and county sheriff’s offices, to step up their patrols for intoxicated boaters June 30-July 2 as part of Operation Dry Water, a national campaign to deter drinking and boating.

The goal of Operation Dry Water is to reduce the number of BWI-related boating accidents and fatalities.

On Thursday, June 29 at 11 a.m. Conservation Officer Lt. Adam Block will deliver remarks and conduct a seated battery test (field sobriety test) on a boat driver. It will take place at Lake Minnetonka Gray’s Bay public access, 17232 County Road 101 South.

In 2016, alcohol was a factor in nine of the 17 deadly boating accidents in Minnesota over half of the boating fatalities involved alcohol.

More information can be found online at www.operationdrywater.org