Officials are getting the word out early: there’s going to be stepped enforcement on the state’s waterways over the holiday weekend. The DNR’s Lisa Dugan cautions that “drunk boating is drunk driving and I think that might be something that’s often a little looked over. When you’re out on the water, it feels a little bit more free, but boating while intoxicated is illegal and it does carry the same repercussions as a DWI.” She says operating a recreational vehicle with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or above is illegal in Minnesota. Dugan says there were 17 boating fatalities in Minnesota last year–which is higher than normal. And Dugan says “unfortunately this year we’re heading on a higher trend. This has been our deadliest start of the season on the water since 2005. So unfortunately we already have nine boating fatalities.” In 2016, alcohol was a factor in nine of the 17 deaths. A stepped up “Operation Dry Water” campaign kicks off tomorrow and runs through July 2nd.