Operation Dry Water Returns July 3-5 to Combat Impaired Boating Nationwide

National Kickoff Event and Public Outreach Activities in Lake Havasu City Launch the Annual Campaign to Promote Safe, Sober Boating

LEXINGTON, Ky., June 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ --The annual Operation Dry Water (ODW) campaign returns July 3-5, 2026, as law enforcement agencies across the United States increase education and enforcement efforts to combat boating under the influence (BUI) during the Independence Day holiday weekend, one of the busiest boating weekends of the year. Officers will increase patrols on waterways nationwide to enforce BUI laws and promote safe, sober boating.

The 2026 campaign will officially launch with the Operation Dry Water National Kickoff Event on Monday, June 29, at 11 a.m. (MST) in the London Bridge Resort Conference Room in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The event is hosted by the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Nevada Department of Wildlife, and additional recreational boating safety partners from Arizona, Nevada, Utah and throughout the Colorado River region.

The National Kickoff will be followed by a Public Outreach Event on Tuesday, June 30, from 8 a.m. to noon (MST) at London Bridge Beach. Members of the public are encouraged to attend to meet with boating safety professionals, learn about the dangers of boating under the influence and receive educational resources promoting safe boating.

"Every year, Operation Dry Water reminds boaters that the safest decision they can make before leaving the dock is to boat sober," said NASBLA Chair Chris Jones. "Our law enforcement officers and boating safety partners are committed to protecting everyone on the water through education, outreach and enforcement. By working together, we can help prevent impaired boating incidents and ensure everyone returns home safely."

Alcohol continues to be the leading known contributing factor in recreational boating fatalities and a major contributor to boating incidents, according to the 2024 U.S. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Statistics. Operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol or drugs affects judgment, reaction time, balance and coordination. Those effects are amplified by environmental factors such as sun, wind, waves and heat.

Throughout the three-day weekend, law enforcement officers nationwide will combine education with high-visibility enforcement to encourage responsible choices and reduce boating under the influence. The campaign's goal is to prevent impaired boating, reduce alcohol- and drug-related incidents, and help ensure everyone returns home safely.

Since the campaign began in 2009, Operation Dry Water has removed 7,954 impaired operators from the nation's waterways and reached more than 3.3 million boaters through education and outreach efforts. In 2025, 451 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, representing every state and U.S. territory, participated in the campaign, demonstrating a nationwide commitment to safer recreational boating.

Alcohol consumption while boating poses serious risks not only to vessel operators but also to passengers.* Impairment increases the likelihood of falls overboard, collisions, injuries and fatalities — incidents that are often preventable when everyone on board chooses to remain sober.

Operation Dry Water is a national campaign of the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and is produced under a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard.

For more information about Operation Dry Water, visit www.OperationDryWater.org.

*2019 NASBLA Boating Under the Influence (BUI) Research Report.

SOURCE Operation Dry Water