{"id":232692,"date":"2026-07-01T11:35:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T11:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/232692\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T11:35:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T11:35:10","slug":"holiday-impaired-driving-crackdown-targets-berks-roads-and-waterways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/232692\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday impaired driving crackdown targets Berks roads and waterways"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the Independence Day holiday expected to draw heavy crowds to Blue Marsh Lake and other recreation areas, state and local officials are urging residents to plan ahead, stay sober behind the wheel and at the helm and take basic precautions to prevent drownings.<\/p>\n

Speaking Tuesday at the Dry Brooks Boat Launch in Bern Township, representatives from local police, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the Highway Safety Network and Blue Marsh Lake recreation area outlined stepped\u2011up DUI patrols on both roads and waterways as part of the annual impaired\u2011driving mobilization.<\/p>\n

Bern Township Police Chief Brett Forry said impairment remains a persistent and preventable factor in crashes statewide \u2014 and not only from alcohol.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, impaired driving isn\u2019t just drunk driving,\u201d Forry said. \u201cAlcohol, illegal drugs, prescription medications, even over\u2011the\u2011counter medications can impair judgment, reaction time and driving ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

He urged motorists to read warning labels and avoid mixing alcohol with medications.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission personnel are patrolling during a press conference promoting safe driving and boating during an Independence Day Impaired Driving Mobilization event Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at the Dry Brooks Boat Launch at Blue Marsh Lake. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania recorded 8,658 crashes involving impaired drivers in 2025, Forry said. While alcohol\u2011related crashes have declined over the past decade, impairment continues to claim lives. Local departments, he said, will conduct increased enforcement throughout the holiday period.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re celebrating, plan ahead,\u201d Forry said. \u201cDesignate a sober driver, use rideshare, call a taxi or stay where you are. A DUI can result in fines, loss of driving privileges, higher insurance costs and potentially tragic consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crackdown on boating under the influence<\/p>\n

Sgt. Travis Miller, a waterways conservation officer with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, said officers statewide will participate in Operation Dry Water, a national campaign running July 3 to 5 to curb boating under the influence.<\/p>\n

\u201cOperation Dry Water has become one of the nation\u2019s most effective boating initiatives,\u201d Miller said, noting its partnerships with the Coast Guard and law enforcement agencies nationwide.<\/p>\n

A blood\u2011alcohol concentration of 0.08% is the legal threshold for boating under the influence in Pennsylvania. Officers are trained to detect impairment and conduct sobriety tests on the water, Miller said.<\/p>\n

In 2025, the commission arrested 27 people for boating under the influence, including nine during last year\u2019s Operation Dry Water weekend. One operator registered a 0.198% blood\u2011alcohol level \u2014 about 2 1\/2 times the legal limit.<\/p>\n

The Fish and Boat Commission has two boats available for patrolling the more than 1,150-acre Blue Marsh waterway.<\/p>\n

Miller also emphasized life jacket use and boating education. Last year, 87% of people who drowned in recreational boating incidents were not wearing life jackets, he said, and 69% of fatalities occurred on vessels operated by individuals without formal boating safety training.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want you to have a good time on the water, but we also want you to be safe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Blue Marsh officials brace for large holiday crowds<\/p>\n

With hot weather and the holiday weekend approaching, Blue Marsh officials expect the park to reach capacity early.<\/p>\n

Chief Park Ranger Jonah Eckert said alcohol is prohibited at all Philadelphia District Army Corps of Engineers lakes and river projects, including Blue Marsh.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expect large crowds this weekend,\u201d Eckert said. \u201cThe park is typically filled by 10 a.m. The Dry Brooks Day Use Area opens at 8 a.m., so folks should plan to arrive early and park in designated spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vehicles without attached trailers must be parked in the designated spaces on weekends and holidays at the boat launches or risk being ticketed, he said.<\/p>\n

To avoid waiting in line at the Dry Brooks and State Hill boat launches, a good alternative is to travel to the northernmost launch, the Sheidy Boat Ramp, off Route 183 just south of Bernville, and troll down the narrow channel, which is a no-wake zone, to the main channel.<\/p>\n

\"DianeDiane Bianco of Barto prepares to launch her boat Tuesday morning at the Blue Marsh Lake Dry Brooks Boat Launch in Bern Township. She and her husband, Dominic, planned a midweek day on the lake with their granddaughter. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Dominic and Diane Bianco had a better idea. The Barto couple didn\u2019t have to wait to launch their pontoon boat Tuesday morning at the Dry Brooks site for a day on the lake with their 8-year-old granddaughter. They planned to wet a fishing hook or two and just relax, Diane said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll avoid that (the holiday weekend) because it\u2019s probably going to be crazy,\u201d Dominic said. \u201cWe\u2019re able to come out during the week, so that\u2019s what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sgt.Sgt. Travis Miller, waterways conservation officer with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, right, discusses holiday enforcement on Blue Marsh Lake. Joining him during a press event Tuesday were Jeff Piscanio, left, Blue Marsh operations manager, and Jonah Eckert, chief park ranger. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Eckert reminded visitors that swimming in lakes and rivers differs from swimming in pools. He urged swimmers to use the buddy system and consider wearing life jackets. Blue Marsh has three life\u2011jacket loaner stations where visitors can borrow one for free.<\/p>\n

He also encouraged swimmers to stay within designated areas, including the Dry Brooks swim beach.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission personnel are patrolling during a press conference promoting safe driving and boating during an Independence Day Impaired Driving Mobilization event Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at the Dry Brooks Boat Launch at Blue Marsh Lake. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the Independence Day holiday expected to draw heavy crowds to Blue Marsh Lake and other recreation areas,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232693,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,2567,202,182,139,28,128,130,129,706],"class_list":["post-232692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-bern-township","tag-crime-and-public-safety","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232692\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}