North Olympic Peninsula agencies are expected to participate in a national effort to crack down on boating under the influence Friday through Sunday.
Operation Dry Water will involve the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, the Coast Guard, Fish and Wildlife and “pretty much every boating recreational safety program,” said Eric Munger of the sheriff’s office.
Information was not available on Wednesday about participation by the Jefferson County Sheriff.
All law enforcement officers will be looking for drunk and impaired boaters.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office will patrol are waters in its boat, Protector.
In Washington state, it is illegal to operate a vessel with a blood alcohol content (BAC) level of .08 or higher — the same as it is to operate a vehicle.
“The accidents and tragedies that happen because individuals chose to drive drunk or impaired, on land or on the water, are preventable,” said Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict.
”The decision lies with the individual on whether they chose to operate a boat or vehicle while under the influence.
“As law enforcement, it is our job to do all we can to ensure the safety of our recreational boaters and paddlers. That is why the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office is joining other states and agencies across the country to do our part in keeping boaters safe and preventing accidents related to boating under the influence.”
Alcohol is the leading contributing factor in recreational boating deaths, and a major contributor to accidents, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office encourages boaters to boat sober, wear a life jacket, and take a boating education course.
The mission of Operation Dry Water — http://www.operationdry water.org/ — is to reduce the number of alcohol- and drug-related accidents and fatalities through increased recreational boater awareness and by fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol use on the water.
