Conservation officers urge water safety as summer begins

With the upcoming Memorial Day weekend marking the unofficial start to summer, Indiana conservation officers are urging you to be safe if you are going to be out enjoying the water.

According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, you should make water safety a priority and discuss water safety and dangers with friends and family members before you head out. Conservation officers are offering several safety tips. Those include:

• Make sure to tell someone where you are going and when you will return.
• When you head out, go with a buddy.
• Do not venture onto flooded or fast-moving waterways.
• Keep an extra watchful eye out for children around water.
• Avoid alcohol when you are on or in the water.

They are also stressing that it is illegal to operate a a motorboat or personal watercraft in Indiana while you are intoxicated whether from alcohol or drugs. In Indiana, intoxicated boating involves a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or greater.

To learn more you can go to on.IN.gov/boatered..