As summer sets sail, sheriff targets 'BUI'

COEUR d'ALENE - The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office is planning to step up its enforcement of drinking and boating this weekend on area lakes.

The sheriff's office will be participating in Operation Dry Water as part of a nationally coordinated effort to raise awareness about the dangers of boating under the influence (BUI) and reduce the number of accidents and deaths related to alcohol use on recreational waterways.

Operation Dry Water weekend, June 26-28, is the national weekend of heightened enforcement of boating under the influence laws and recreational boater outreach, the sheriff wrote in a press release.

Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boater deaths in the United States.

By participating in Operation Dry Water, the KCSO is helping to keep recreational boaters safe and working toward reducing the number of accidents and deaths on the water.

In Idaho, boaters whose blood alcohol content (BAC) level exceeds the state limit of .08 can be arrested for BUI.

The KCSO supports the Operation Dry Water message, which encourages boaters to never boat under the influence, and to enjoy their time on the water responsibly.

Operation Dry Water is a joint program of the KCSO, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, the U.S. Coast Guard and Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.

For more information on Operation Dry Water, please visit operationdrywater.org.