Statewide Crackdown on Drunk Boaters This Weekend

St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - Minnesotans can expect to see an an enhanced while enforcement presence on state roads and waterways this weekend.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, along with county sheriff's departments and other public safety agencies will be conducting a crackdown on intoxicated boaters as part of Operation Dry Water. That's a nationwide campaign aimed at curbing the problem of drinking and boating.

State officials say the 2017 boating season is already the deadliest in Minnesota since 2005, with nine boating fatalities recorded since the start of the year. Statistics from last year show alcohol was a contributing factor in nine of the 17 boating related fatalities that occurred in Minnesota in 2016.

The enforcement campaign begins Friday and runs through Sunday.