CHARLESTON, S.C. — Coast Guard crews, along with members of the North Charleston Police Department and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, will be patrolling areas throughout Charleston between Friday and Sunday in support of Operation Dry Water.
The purpose of Operation Dry Water is to significantly reduce the number of alcohol and drug-related accidents, injuries and deaths among recreational boaters through education, detection and enforcement. Operation Dry Water is an annual campaign, taking place throughout the United States and its territories.
In Charleston, crews will be patrolling areas throughout Charleston Harbor and the Intracoastal Waterway.
Coast Guardsmen from Station Georgetown, S.C., will also be on patrol throughout their area of responsibility.
In addition to South Carolina, Coast Guardsmen in Georgia and Florida will be participating in the operation, patrolling throughout their respective states.
“The purpose is not to keep people from participating in boating activities,” said Lt. Jeffrey Prebeck, the command duty officer at the Coast Guard Sector Charleston command center. “Our primary concern at all times is safety. We advise boaters to operate their vessels with caution.”
According to a report by the Coast Guard, alcohol was the cause of 277 boating accidents nationwide over the last year. This included 108 deaths and 247 injuries. Federal, state, and local marine law enforcement officers made 318 arrests for boating under the influence during the 2014 Operation Dry Water weekend.
To view the Coast Guard 2014 accident report, visit: http://www.uscgboating.org/library/accident-statistics/Recreational-Boat....
For more information on Operation Dry Water, visit: http://operationdrywater.org.
For more information contact the Coast Guard 7th District Public Affairs Detachment Jacksonville at 305-318-1864.
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