Boat patrols to be out in mass on Lake Tahoe

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department marine units will be actively involved in California law enforcement officers Operation Dry Water June 28-30.

Officers Steve O’Brien and Dave Gottlieb on the SLTPD boat. Photo/LTN file

Operation Dry Water is an annual nationwide effort to highlight the risks and dangers of operating boats under the influence. The stepped up enforcement raises awareness of operating boats under the influence of alcohol or drugs in advance of the Fourth of July holiday.

Alcohol can impair a boater’s judgment, balance, vision and reaction time. It can increase fatigue and susceptibility to the effect of cold-water immersion. Sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion – “stressors” common to the boating environment – intensify the side effects of alcohol, drugs and some prescription medications.

In California, it is against the law to operate a boat with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or more. A person with a BAC less than 0.08 percent may also be arrested if conditions are deemed to be unsafe.