COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – As boating activity ramps up for the Fourth of July holiday, the Branch County Sheriff’s Office is participating in Operation Dry Water, a national awareness and enforcement campaign aimed at preventing alcohol and drug-impaired boating.
The initiative runs July 3–5 and focuses on educating boaters about the dangers of impairment on the water, while promoting responsible behavior for everyone on board.
Alcohol remains the leading known contributing factor in recreational boating fatalities, impairing critical skills like judgment, balance, vision, and reaction time.
The Sheriff’s Office will support education and outreach emphasizing life jacket use, awareness of changing conditions, and shared responsibility among operators and passengers.
Boaters are urged to keep alcohol and drugs off the water, with more information available at operationdrywater.org
The campaign is coordinated nationally by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard.
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