TWRA Issues Independence Day Weekend Boating Report

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency reports there was a single boating-related fatal incident over the three-day July 4th holiday and Operation Dry Water weekend. The incident occurred Saturday evening on the Tennessee River in Decatur County.

The preliminary TWRA investigation reports that a 10-year-old female was on a tube being pulled by a pontoon boat when the outward motor contacted the tube and the girl. The incident remains under investigation by the TWRA.

There have been 16 boating-related fatalities on Tennessee waters in 2022 as compared to 13 the same time last year.

There was a serious injury incident involving two juveniles in the Holder Branch area of Ft. Loudon Lake near the Cove at Concord Park. A personal watercraft that was towing an inner tube with two juveniles onboard made contact into the side of an anchored pontoon boat. The TWRA also reported eight property damage incidents.

The TWRA reported 25 boating under the influence (BUI) arrests over the holiday weekend. There were nine arrests in TWRA Region III (Upper Cumberland, Chattanooga area), eight in TWRA Region IV (East Tennessee), seven in Region II (Middle Tennessee) and one in Region I (West Tennessee).

Operation Dry Water is a national weekend of awareness and enforcement campaign directed toward reducing alcohol and drug-related accidents and fatalities. Operation Dry Water is held with the Independence Day holiday to give boating under the influence (BUI) enforcement high visibility during the peak boating season.

The TWRA Boating and Law Enforcement Division compiled this year’s holiday statistics after receiving reports from the agency’s four regions.

Tips on safe boating habits may be found here.