Nevada County Ramps Up Patrols for Sober Boating

NEVADA COUNTY — Nevada County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) deputies will increase on-the-water patrols over the 4th of July weekend as part of Operation Dry Water, a national campaign aimed at preventing boating under the influence.

The heightened enforcement effort will run July 3–5, when holiday crowds are expected to increase traffic at local lakes. NCSO is participating in the campaign alongside the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard, with deputies focusing on education, compliance checks, and enforcement.

Boaters should expect to see an increased law enforcement presence at lakes throughout the region. Deputies will be looking for impaired vessel operators and working to remove them from the water before impaired boating leads to crashes, injuries, or deaths.

“Boating under the influence is just as dangerous as impaired driving and can quickly turn a day on the water into a tragedy,” explained NCSO Sergeant Dustin Moe in a press release. “Through proactive patrols, education, and enforcement, our goal is to reduce incidents and fatalities on the water.”

Alcohol remains the leading known contributing factor in fatal recreational boating accidents nationwide. According to the U.S. Coast Guard’s 2024 Recreational Boating Statistics Report, there were 3,887 recreational boating incidents nationwide last year, including 556 deaths and 2,170 injuries. Alcohol accounted for 92 deaths, or 20 percent of total fatalities.

The Coast Guard reported the lowest number of boating fatalities in more than 50 years, but federal safety data still point to several recurring risks. Drowning accounted for about three-quarters of deaths where the cause was known, and 87 percent of drowning victims with known life jacket use were not wearing one.

NCSO is urging boaters to stay sober and wear a life jacket when on or near the water. Under California law, it is illegal to operate a vessel or manipulate water skis, an aquaplane, or a similar device while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of both. State law also bars recreational vessel operators from having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher.

Operation Dry Water is both a year-round awareness campaign and an annual heightened enforcement weekend. Since the campaign began in 2009, Operation Dry Water reports that law enforcement agencies have removed 7,954 impaired operators from the nation’s waterways and reached more than 3.3 million boaters through education and outreach. In 2025, 451 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies participated across every state and U.S. territory.

More information about boating under the influence and Operation Dry Water is available at operationdrywater.org.