“Operation Dry Water” Underway This Weekend

lakemichigan4-10
lakemichigan4-10

This is the weekend for Operation Dry Water. That’s when law enforcement agencies across the country send out extra patrols on waterways to look for drunk boaters. Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Nathan Penning tells WSJM News they’re going to make contact with boaters throughout the holiday weekend to make sure everyone’s obeying the rules.

“We do random safety checks, and as we do a random safety check we often find out there’s alcohol on board, and when we find out there’s alcohol on board, we like to do evaluations of the driver,” Penning said.

Penning tells us alcohol is allowed on boats, but the driver cannot be drinking. Also, the same alcohol limit that applies to the driver of a car applies to the driver of a boat. It’s .08. Not only will the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department have extra marine patrols this weekend, but so will the U.S. Coast Guard in St. Joseph.