The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has partnered with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators in Operation Dry Water, a campaign aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of boating while impaired and increasing enforcement.

The campaign will run from Saturday through Monday and will include partners such as the NCWRF, the Highway Patrol, Alcohol Law Enforcement and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

According to Officer Joshua Freeborn with the NCWRC, this time of year brings out the most traffic to North Carolina’s lakes and rivers, leading to more boating while impaired incidents.

Last year, Operation Dry Water combined the efforts of 7,800 officers from 630 local agencies around the nation. Those efforts led to 794 boating while impaired arrests during the days surrounding the Fourth of July.

NCWRC deployed 153 officers during the Operation Dry Water campaign last year, leading to 65 people being removed from the water due to boating while impaired.

Just this year, 28 boating incidents have already occurred in North Carolina. Five of those incidents were fatal.

NCWRC is also taking the time to remind boaters of the importance of wearing a life jacket. Last year, North Carolina saw 20 boating fatalities. Sixteen of those fatalities involved people not wearing a life jacket.

“We also want everyone to make sure to wear a life jacket. Bringing a life jacket doesn’t do any good when it’s just sitting in the boat. Kids especially, anybody under the age of 13 has to wear a life jacket while out on the water. Kids, when they get in the water, tend to sink so it is very important for kids to wear a life jacket,” said Freeborn.

In North Carolina, it is illegal to operate a boat with a blood-alcohol concentration of .08 or higher or while appreciably impaired, meaning that the impairment is visibly noticeable by a police officer and can be measured by tests. Freeborn also stressed that alcohol is not the only way for boaters to be impaired. Operating a vessel while under the influence of drugs, even many prescription drugs, is also illegal.