ALCOAST 138/23 - APR 2023 OPERATION DRY WATER

R 051516Z APR 23 MID200080873136U
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS
ALCOAST 138/23
SSIC 16210
SUBJ: OPERATION DRY WATER
A. 2021 Recreational Boating Statistics, COMDTPUB P16754.35
B. U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Manual (MLEM),
COMDTINST M16247.1H
1. The purpose of this ALCOAST is to provide notice of the 2023
Operation Dry Water (ODW) heightened awareness and enforcement
weekend and to encourage maximum participation from Coast Guard
units. ODW will take place this year July 1-3.
2. Alcohol use continues to be the leading known contributing
factor in recreational boating-related deaths (18% in 2020 and
16% in 2021 per REF (A); 2022 data will be released later this
month). ODW directly supports the National Recreational Boating
Safety Program's efforts to eliminate alcohol and drug-related
marine accidents and casualties.
3. COMDT (CG-BSX-2), in partnership with the National
Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and
many other members of the boating safety community, will help
coordinate this nationwide event. Maritime law enforcement
agencies throughout the Federal government and the 50 states, five
territories, and the District of Columbia ("States") will intensify
boating under the influence (BUI) awareness and enforcement through
increased patrols and established sobriety checkpoints. In 2022, all
States participated in the ODW event. Over 7,800 maritime law
enforcement officers representing 630 agencies and their local units
nationwide, including 177 Coast Guard law enforcement units, made
contact with 350,472 boaters on 126,832 recreational vessels.
Federal, state, and local maritime law enforcement officers made
794 arrests for BUI. Additionally, there were 11,869 citations
and 33,198 warnings for other boating related safety violations
during the three-day weekend.
4. Operations permitting:
    a. Coast Guard units are encouraged to partner with state
boating law administrators and local law enforcement agencies.
Participation must be consistent with Area and District Commanders'
direction. Units are reminded that BUI enforcement is to be
conducted in conjunction with normal law enforcement operations.
Thus, Coast Guard blockades or other checkpoints designed to
specifically detect intoxicated operators will not be conducted.
However, that does not preclude Coast Guard units from assisting and
participating alongside law enforcement partners in establishing
blockades or checkpoints. Review REF (B) to ensure compliance
with current Coast Guard policy.
    b. Sector PAO's are encouraged to coordinate ODW promotional
activities for events within their AOR.
5. Units planning to participate in this year's event:
    a. To ensure that participation by Coast Guard units is
accurately captured, units participating must register at their
earliest oppurtunity:
(Copy and Paste URL Below into Browser)

https://www.nasbla.org/operationdrywater/enforcement/register-report

To help prevent double counting and provide accurate reporting,
participating units are reminded to report all persons aboard each
vessel contacted and submit individual unit reports vice combined
Sector totals.
    b. At the conclusion of the ODW event, units must fill out the
online report form on the ODW website within 30 days of the
completion of ODW. An example report form is posted at:
(Copy and Paste URL Below into Browser)

https://www.nasbla.org/operationdrywater/enforcement/register
-report

Units must not submit the paper form for official reporting.
    c. For the "Vessels contacted" measure on the reporting form,
Coast Guard units should only count boardings.
6. Units that achieve high numbers of vessel contacts, boater
contacts, BUIs detected, and/or media contacts made will be
recognized in a subsequent message once ODW results are tabulated
from information submitted to the ODW website.
7. Units having additional questions or wishing to participate in
this operation are encouraged to contact their respective District
Recreational Boating Safety Specialist for guidance in coordinating
efforts.
8. POC: Mr. Brian Moore, COMDT (CG-BSX-2), (301) 535-7781 or
Brian.M.Moore@uscg.mil.
9. RDML Wayne Arguin, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy
(CG-5P), sends.
10. Internet release is authorized.