DNR To Crack Down On Drunken Boating

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — With the Independence Day holiday approaching, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is ramping up enforcement this weekend against drunken boating.

The stepped up patrols are part of Operation Dry Water, a national weekend of boating-while-intoxicated education and enforcement directed toward reducing alcohol and drug-related accidents and fatalities.

The DNR says impaired boating is one of the leading factors for boating accidents and injuries in Minnesota. Alcohol was a contributing factor in 33 percent of the deadly boating accidents in Minnesota last year.

The maximum blood alcohol level for operating a boat in Minnesota is the same as the legal limit for driving a car.

Last year, 158 people were arrested for BWI in Minnesota, mostly in Hennepin County.