Officers to ratchet up boat patrols at Tahoe

This weekend, many law enforcement agencies will be out in force on waterways looking for drunken boat operators.

This heightened vigilance, known as Operation Dry Water, is part of a national effort to change the cultural acceptance of drinking and boating, and raise awareness that boaters can have safe and fun recreational boating experiences without the use of alcohol and/or drugs. California will also emphasize the dangers that drunken passengers face.

Since the launch of Operation Dry Water in 2009, the number of recreational boating fatalities with alcohol named as a contributing factor has decreased in the United States. As of 2015, the national alcohol-related boating fatality rate was 21 percent. In California, alcohol use remains a leading contributing factor in boating deaths. The state’s recreational boating accident statistics show that over the past five years (2011-15), 33 percent of boating fatalities were alcohol-related (when tests were conducted).