FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (FOX26) — With crowds expected at Central Valley lakes and rivers over the holiday weekend, law enforcement agencies are stepping up patrols and safety checks.
Thousands of law enforcement officers across the United States will be on heightened alert during Operation Dry Water, a nationwide effort aimed at preventing boating under the influence and other dangerous behavior on the water.
“If you’ve been drinking, if you’re intoxicated, there’s no reason to get in the water. It’s not worth it. You could lose your life over something as silly as stepping out too far,” Deputy Zachary Westbrook, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, said.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Boating Enforcement Unit is joining the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and others in the annual campaign, which is designed to educate boaters about the dangers of boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs and to detect and arrest impaired operators.
The sheriff’s office said its Boating Enforcement Unit will patrol Shaver Lake, Pine Flat Lake and the Kings River Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5.
Deputies will also be watching for speeding through no-wake zones and for boaters who do not know or follow waterway rules.
“Honestly, I don’t really come to (Kings River) because I get scared because of the fact that I feel like the river’s flow is dangerous. But yeah, I mean, I just feel like when people do drink, they get real brave and they want to do more,” Sonya Martinez, a neighbor, said.
The sheriff’s office said alcohol use continues to be the leading known contributing factor in recreational boater deaths and a leading contributor in boating accidents.
The mission of Operation Dry Water is to reduce the number of alcohol- and drug-related incidents and fatalities on the water.
Juan Pecheco, described as a lifelong San Joaquin Valley resident, said he once had to save a young girl from drowning in the Kings River because he believed her parents were not paying close enough attention.
“I saw the mother start hollering,” Pecheco said. “This river has taken many lives and I know that for, I’ve been here 45 years and now I say, you don’t have to have alcohol, but alcohol just makes it worse, you know, because then people get a little bit more irresponsible.”
Deputies also reminded boaters of local rules and safety practices.
While boating on Fresno County lakes, operators must travel in a counterclockwise direction, meaning turning left to complete circles, and should stay farther to the right-hand side of the lake, the sheriff’s office said. Boaters are also urged to watch for hazard buoys and no-wake buoys and to slow to five miles-per-hour in no-wake zones.
Operating any vessel under the influence of drugs or alcohol is illegal, authorities said.
The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08%, and the sheriff’s office said boaters operating a boat or jet ski over that limit can be arrested for DUI.
Nationally, in 2025, law enforcement officers contacted nearly 233,000 boaters and removed 501 impaired operators from the nation’s waterways, according to information released with the campaign.
More information is available HERE.