Operation Dry Water

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and other law enforcement agencies are stepping up patrols this weekend to crackdown on boating while intoxicated.

The BWI enforcement called Operation Dry Water comes as the DNR reports the number of drunken boating arrests and accidents around the state dropped 50 percent from 2012 to 2013 and arrests this year are on track to do the same.

DNR Captain Greg Salo says weather has a played a role in the decline in alcohol-related incidents, but boaters are also making safe decisions on the water.

Salo added that operating a boat with a blood alcohol level of point-eight or higher is against the law. Operation Dry Water is a national campaign designed to reduce alcohol and drug-related accidents and fatalities.