HOLLAND, MI (WHTC) – The Ottawa County Sheriff’s deputies is cracking down on boaters who drink alcohol this weekend to help spread the word of a national boating safety program. Operation Dry Water was launched in 2009 by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Sheriff’s Department to encourage people to drink water and stay hydrated while driving a boat instead of drinking alcohol. Now that the legal blood alcohol limit for boating is .08, down from .10 from last year, Officers will have to be much more vigilant when patrolling the waters and looking for offenders. The national average of boating accidents involving alcohol was 21% in 2014.
-Caitlyn Burry
