Many Iowans will try to beat the summer heat with a boat ride, but if they’re also sipping suds while zipping around on the water, there could be legal — and lethal — consequences. Nate Carr, an Iowa DNR conservation officer, says the state’s annual Operation Dry Water will get underway later this week, as the busy 4th of July holiday weekend begins.
During the statewide operation last year, the DNR and its partners stopped nearly 1,300 boats carrying more than 5,000 boaters, resulting in a total of 477 warnings or citations for boating under the influence.
Carr says alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boating deaths, as intoxicated passengers can easily slip and fall overboard or suffer other life-threatening incidents.
The DNR says one-third of all boating fatalities nationally involve alcohol, and many of those victims are innocent bystanders.
