Drownings and Boating Accidents That Occurred in Texas on July 4TH Weekend

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Over this past 4th of July weekend, our Texas Game Wardens conducted more than 12,000 water vessel safety checks. Between Friday, July 1st, and Monday, July 4th the Texas Parks and Wildlife Departments Game Wardens were extremely busy executing what they called "Operation Dry Water."

Prior to Friday, July 1st, 2022 the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department had issued a press release stating they were going to be out in full force and asked all Texans to please exercise extreme caution and partake in "Operation Dry Water."

Throughout the entire Independence Day Weekend, here's what the Texas Game Wardens did:

1. Patrolled for over 10,200 hours
2. Contacted 12,537 boat operators
3. Administered 332 field sobriety tests for boating intoxication
4. Issued over 1,900 warning tickets,
5. Handed out over 1,560 actual violation citations
6. Arrested 49 people for boating while intoxicated
7. Answer to 38 boating accidents, with one having a boating related fatality
8. The saddest part of all Wardens answered to a total; of 10 drownings in Texas
   On July 5th the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Assistant Commander for Marine Enforcement Cody Jones issued This statement "Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost loved ones over the holiday weekend." Source: TPWD Press release

Jones went on to say “The dedicated efforts of the game wardens while working these tragic events is second to none, and it is never easy. We will keep the families who have suffered a tragedy in our thoughts and prayers.”

While there is still a lot of summer left, many of us will continue going out to the lakes and Texas waterways. We can all learn more about how to be safer in the great outdoors from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Departments' safety and education programs online.