ANNAPOLIS, MD—The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) charged nine impaired boaters and investigated nine reportable boating accidents during its annual “Operation Dry Water” campaign over the July 4 weekend. No boating fatalities were recorded during the holiday period, which ran from July 4 to July 6.
NRP officers made nine arrests for Operating While Under the Influence of Alcohol (OUI) during the heightened enforcement period. Boaters convicted of OUI face potential penalties of up to $1,000 in fines and one year of jail time. Over the past five years of NRP’s participation in Operation Dry Water, 33 impaired boaters have been removed from Maryland’s waterways.
The nine boating accidents recorded this July 4 weekend matched the total from the previous year. In 2023, 10 accidents were reported.
In addition to the OUI arrests, NRP issued 152 citations and 703 warnings. Officers conducted 422 recreational vessel inspections, with 146 performed by reserve officers, and stopped 313 vessels during the three-day campaign.
Among those charged with OUI and other offenses were individuals stopped for improper navigation lighting on the Severn River near Annapolis, the Chester River near Kent Narrows and Chestertown, and the Patuxent River near Hollywood. Other arrests stemmed from exceeding speed limits in Ocean City’s Isle of Wight Bay, a recreational vessel inspection on the Potomac River near Point Lookout, lighting violations on the Susquehanna River near Havre De Grace, and improper navigation lighting in the Kent Narrows.
The following were charged with Operating While Under the Influence of Alcohol and other offenses during Operation Dry Water 2025.
- A 23-year-old Texas man was charged after being stopped for improper navigation lighting on the Severn River near Annapolis on July 4.
- A 22-year-old Pasadena man was charged after being stopped for improper navigation lighting on the Chester River near Kent Narrows on July 4.
- A 61-year-old Centreville man was charged after being stopped for operating without navigation lights on the Chester River near Chestertown on July 4.
- A 49-year-old Salisbury man was charged after exceeding 6 knots in a speed zone in the Isle of Wight Bay in Ocean City on July 5.
- A 61-year-old Rossville man was charged after being stopped for a recreational vessel inspection on the Potomac River near Point Lookout in Scotland on July 5.
- A 54-year-old California man and a 51-year-old California woman were both charged after being stopped for improper navigation lighting on the Patuxent River near Cuckold Creek in Hollywood on July 5.
- A 36-year-old Port Deposit man was charged after being stopped for lighting violations on the Susquehanna River near Havre De Grace on July 5.
- A 30-year-old Chester man was charged after being stopped for improper navigation lighting in the Kent Narrows near Kent Island on July 6.
Operation Dry Water, launched in 2009 by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, involves “saturation patrols” where officers concentrate efforts in areas known for alcohol-related boating incidents. The NRP has participated in the joint effort since its inception.
Photo: Saturation patrols targeting underaged drinking, impaired boating, negligent operation, and more violations take place at Horn Island in Ocean City on July 4, 2025. Maryland DNR photo.
