HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) – A warning to boaters operating impaired during the Fourth of July weekend – Nebraska conservation officers will be watching.

Operation Dry Water, a national heightened awareness and enforcement campaign focused on reducing the number of alcohol and drug-related incidents and deaths, will take place July 4 through the 6th.

For those days, Nebraska Game and Parks conservation officers will have an enhanced presence on waters across the state, targeting impaired boat operators. Their goal will be to raise awareness and to foster a stronger, more visible deterrent to alcohol and drug use on the water through enforcement.

The Fourth of July is a holiday known for increased boaters on the water where alcohol use is prevalent and a higher number of boating incidents and fatalities, according to Operation Dry Water.

“A bad decision to drink while operating a boat can change a life – or several. That’s why we’re trying to keep the waters as safe as possible so families can enjoy the holiday,” Game and Parks Law Enforcement Administrator Jeff Clauson said. “Enjoy the water with family and friends safely – and responsibly.”

Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor to fatal boating incidents. Just like on land, alcohol use impairs judgment, balance, vision, reaction time and can increase fatigue. Sun, wind, noise, and motion – stressors coming during boating – also intensify the side effects of alcohol and drugs.

Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating incidents. Where the primary cause was known, it was listed as the leading factor in 16% of deaths according to U.S. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Statistics 2021.

Since the inception of Operation Dry Water in 2009, law enforcement officers have removed 6,869 BUI operators from the nation’s waterways and contacted more than 2.8 million boaters during the annual three-day weekend.

In Nebraska, it is unlawful to operate a motorboat with a blood alcohol level content of 0.08% or greater. Doing so constitutes BUI, which carries penalties such as vessel impoundment, fines, jail time and loss of boating privileges.

In 2023, 488 local, state and federal agencies participated in Operation Dry Water. Over the three-day weekend, officers contacted 302,146 boaters, made 717 BUI arrests and issued 42,822 citations and warnings for safety violations.

Operation Dry Water is a joint program of Game and Parks, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard. Find more information on the national effort at OperationDryWater.org.

Other boat safety reminders

In addition to recreating responsibly, Game and Parks offers these boat safety reminders:

• Have all required boating safety equipment on your vessel, including life jackets or U.S. Coast Guard-approved floatation devices, lights, a fire extinguisher, horn, bailing bucket and an orange flag if pulling skiers and tubers.
• Children aged 12 and younger and anyone riding or operating a personal watercraft or being pulled on a towable must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
• Anyone operating a motorboat or personal watercraft must be at least 14 years old.
• Anyone born after Dec. 31, 1985, must complete a boater safety course, which can be taken at OutdoorNebraska.gov, search for “boater education.”

For more information on boating rules and requirements, read the 2024 Boating Guide at OutdoorNebraska.gov/guides-maps.

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The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman picked Nebraska as the Big Ten’s surprise team in 2024, in what will be a new-look conference.

The first year under Matt Rhule had its bumps and bruises, but the Huskers knew this could be the right way to rebuild the program. Rhule’s done it before at Temple and Baylor.

That’s why Feldman is confident in Year 2 with the pieces acquired in the portal and recruiting.

“Keep an eye on Nebraska,” Feldman said on The Herd. “You know, like Matt Rhule struggles in his first (year at a place) and then he gets it going. Dylan Raiola is super talented freshman quarterback. He’s a legacy kid. And when I say kid he does not look like a kid … He was committed to Georgia, was committed to Ohio State, ends up kind of going home where he has family ties at Nebraska. Very talented.”

Raiola is the projected starter as a true freshman, although Rhule wants the competition to play out.

“Obviously, I’d like it before game week,” Rhule said. “What I don’t want to do is name someone the starter and then have second thoughts a couple weeks later. It’s like I tell guys in recruiting – take all your visits if you have to because when you commit to us, we want you here for four years, not just four weeks. It’s the same thing with this. 

“We’ll let them play it out and let them show off all the work they did this summer and see where we are.”

The Nebraska quarterback competition is certainly one to watch, but Feldman pointed out a terrific defense that could surprise this fall. That’s led by the defensive line of Ty Robinson, Nash Hutmacher and Jimari Butler.

“The other thing that was big for them is, you know, Texas last year, people couldn’t run on them very well,” Feldman said. “They had two great defensive tackles. Nebraska actually has, potentially, the best interior defensive tackle combination in the country. I mean, they have two studs in the middle of the defense, they’re gonna be physical. 

“I don’t think they have a ton of firepower, but I think they’ll be much better, a bunch of games that’ll (be) close. I feel like they’re a team that has a chance to sneak into the top 25.”

There’s a collection of talent for Nebraska to steadily improve in 2024. Maybe the Huskers aren’t a big secret anymore.