“Operation Dry Water” Underway on Lake of the Ozarks

If you’re taking you boat out on the water this weekend, the Missouri Highway Patrol will be watching – to see if you’re intoxicated. “We do that day in, day out, but this will be a weekend that we’re going to dedicate some special patrols to try and bring it to the public’s attention more,” says Water Patrol Division Sgt. Jerry Callahan. The campaign is called Operation Dry Water, and this is the third year MIssouri is taking part in the nationwide crackdown on impaired boaters. More than half of the 14 fatal boating accidents in Missouri last year had alcohol as a contributing factor. Callahan says Lake of the Ozarks will receive special attention, because “it’s probably the single busiest body of water, so we see the highest concentration of boating traffic in the state,” according to Callahan. “So we’ll be having a strong presence, and hopefully boaters are heeding all of the warnings and using designated skippers.”