DNR plans intoxicated boating crackdown for July 4 holiday weekend

Plans to celebrate freedom and independence this weekend will also be met with extra law enforcement cracking down on drunken boating.

In recent years, about half of the boating related-fatalities in Minnesota have involved alcohol, according to a news release from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

As a result, Operation Dry Water from July 2-4 will target intoxicated boaters under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

A total of seven metro-area agencies will coordinate to reduce the number of DWI-related boating accidents and fatalities throughout the weekend of celebration.