Mercer Island Joins BUI Enforcement Effort This Weekend

The Mercer Island Marine Patrol and other local agencies will be out in force June 28-30 for Operation Dry Water, an annual campaign to detect and enforce boating under the influence (BUI) laws on the state’s waterways.

Officers from all 50 U.S. states and six territories are expected to participate in Operation Dry Water 2013 to help educate the public and be on the lookout for boat operators whose blood alcohol concentration exceeds the national limit of .08. It is illegal in every state and territory to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 

Lake Washington has one of the highest numbers of BUIs reported in the state — and 66 were arrested last year for BUI in a single weekend during Seafair.

The U.S. Coast Guard recently reported that alcohol is the leading contributing factor in boating fatalities; nearly one in five boating fatalities each year is the result of boaters impaired by alcohol. According to Washington State Parks Boating Programs, between 2007 and 2011, at least 30 people died in reportable boating accidents where alcohol use was a contributing factor.

BUI laws pertain to all boats, from canoes and rowboats to the largest vessels.