Operation Dry Water (ODW) is a year-round boating under the influence awareness and enforcement campaign. The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) recently published the 2022 Operation Dry Water Annual Report. This report includes additional insight into the enforcement results, a closer look at the inaugural Operation Dry Water media kickoff event, an overview of the campaign's media exposure, and highlights from the 2022 weekend.

LEXINGTON, Ky., March 29, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In an effort to increase public awareness surrounding the dangers of boating under the influence and remove impaired operators from our nation's waterways, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard and hundreds of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, conducted the fourteenth annual Operation Dry Water weekend July 2 – 4, 2022. Over the campaign's heightened awareness and enforcement weekend, over 7,800 law enforcement officers from 630 agencies across the nation made 794 arrests for boating under the influence (BUI).

With an increased public presence on the water, law enforcement officers were able to make a record number of contacts with the boating public. Officers contacted more than 350,000 recreational boaters while patrolling the nation's waterways, providing an opportunity for officers to educate boaters and help increase awareness about the dangers of impaired boating.

NASBLA recently published the 2022 Operation Dry Water Annual Report. This report includes additional insight into the enforcement results, a closer look at the inaugural Operation Dry Water media kickoff event, an overview of the campaign's media exposure, and highlights from the 2022 weekend. The annual report also features the campaign's awareness and outreach efforts, as well as details on the 2022 Operation Dry Water national awards recipients.

Operation Dry Water is a year-round boating under the influence awareness and enforcement campaign. The annual three-day heightened awareness and enforcement weekend takes place around July 4th, a holiday unfortunately known for an increase impaired boating and deadly incidents. Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in recreational boater deaths, and a leading factor in recreational boating incidents.* Operation Dry Water reminds boaters that boating while impaired by alcohol or other drugs is extremely dangerous for both operators and passengers.

The 2023 Operation Dry Water heightened awareness and enforcement weekend will take place nationwide, July 1 – 3, 2023.

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The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) coordinates the Operation Dry Water campaign, in partnership with law enforcement agencies and outreach partners nationwide, through a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund administered by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Operation Dry Water (ODW) is a year-round boating under the influence awareness and enforcement campaign with the mission of reducing the number of alcohol and drug-related incidents and fatalities through increased recreational boater awareness and by fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol use on the water.

*2021 U.S. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Statistics

Media Contact

Taylor Matsko, National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, 859.225.9487, taylor.matsko@nasbla.org

SOURCE National Association of State Boating Law Administrators