State Game Wardens Cody Jones and Joel Compos are patrolling Lake Travis. They are cracking down on impaired boaters for “Operation Dry Water.”  It’s a national effort to raise awareness of the hazards of boating while under the influence.

“We're out here to keep people safe, and if you are impaired and operating your boat; we are going to come find you,” Jones said.

Jones said the campaign is important because more than 25 percent of all boating fatalities involve alcohol.

“People don’t understand that boating while intoxicated is a serious offense. There are many accidents and deaths. That's why we are out here to enforce that,” said Jones.

The Game Wardens randomly stop boaters for safety inspections while looking for signs of impairment.  They pull up alongside a boat with 8 people and a toddler wearing a life jacket.

“We need to see life jackets for everybody. Perfect. Have fun and be safe,” said Compos. 

The boat passes the safety inspection and there are no signs of impairment. It’s off to Devil's Cove a known party spot. The wardens make another random stop. This time they see possible signs of impairment. The driver of the boat is taken aboard and tested. 

 “We feel he needs to be taken to shore and after about 15 minutes, we need to conduct a standard field sobriety test for possibly operating his vessel while intoxicated,” said Jones.

Based on the field sobriety test, Jones concluded the boat driver was not legally drunk. 

If you are busted for boating under the influence, you could be fined, taken to jail, and your boat could be impounded.