By Randy Zellers
Game wardens patrolling Natural State waterways reported no boating fatalities over the course of last weekend’s Independence Day celebrations, thanks in part to increased boating safety presence throughout the state.
According to Sydney Grant, boating law administrator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 121 AGFC game wardens worked 2,400 hours, patrolling rivers, lakes and streams July 4-6, and contacted more than 11,250 individuals during their annual Operation Dry Water effort.
“There were a few boating accidents reported, but that zero fatality number is always encouraging,” Grant said. “But we still have some room to improve, especially when it comes to boating under the influence.”
According to Grant, 23 boaters were arrested for boating while intoxicated during the holiday weekend, with the highest level of intoxication being nearly three times the legal limit.
As part of Arkansas law, those boaters not only will face heavy fines, but they also likely will lose their ability to operate a vehicle on Arkansas’s roads.
Col. Brad Young, chief of the AGFC Enforcement Division, praised the officers involved in the increased boating safety effort.
“Taking those 23 impaired boaters off the water likely prevented some major disasters and saved lives during a weekend reserved for celebration,” Young said. “I am extremely proud of our men and women out there making sure everyone made it home safely to remember their time on Arkansas’s waters.”
Grant said the lifesaving measures didn’t stop with boating-under-the-influence checks. Lack of properly fitting life jackets, reckless boating and other violations were reported as well.
“Out of the 3,659 vessels contacted, 534 contacts uncovered a violation,” Grant said. “In 346 of those cases, wardens were able to issue a warning as soon as the violation was rectified; the remaining 188 were severe enough to warrant a citation.”
With well over a month of prime boating weather still to come, Grant reminds everyone to do their part to help keep Arkansas’s waterways safe.
“We want everyone to enjoy boating, angling and paddling in The Natural State, but we have to do it responsibly,” Grant said. “High-traffic times like holiday weekends are critical, but every time you’re on the water is a time to remember safe and courteous boating. We’re all out there to have fun, and winding up in jail or the hospital because of poor judgment isn’t very fun at all.”
Operation Dry Water (ODW) is a national initiative aimed at reducing alcohol- and drug-related incidents and fatalities on the water.
