COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) -- As we move into the Dog Days of summer, people are still making their way to the local lakes.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources officers say the top concern is safety. Sure, they want folks to enjoy their time on the water, but they are out here to make sure folks are safe.
One of the first things that you notice on Lake Harding these days is the number of personal watercraft – jet skis – that you see on the lake.
A lot of those driving them tend to be younger. 12-15 you drive with adult supervision if you have had a certified boater education class. Anyone born after 1998 must have a boater ed class to operate a jet ski.
Here is what Game Warden Gregory Castelli had to say this week.
“They are more and more popular, especially with the younger crowd," Castelli said. "We do get a good bit of complaints on them. What we see a lot of is people out here doing horseplay on them, wanting to splash each other. That does not need to happen on this lake. That’s one of the bigger issues. That’s how people get hurt.”
But recently all of the potential safety hazards are not confined to just the water. The unpredictable weather has created another set of issues on the lake.
“We have seen it this weekend alone," Castelli said. "The storms are coming in from both the south and west. And they will pop up faster than you can see them coming. We have been seeing these rains roll in with problems with lightning and high winds. Keeping track of where you are and what the weather is doing is vitally important out here on the lake. Like I said, the weather can change in a heartbeat if you are not paying attention.”
One of the primary concerns of DNR officers is boating under the influence. And this summer, those numbers are going down.
Over the most recent holiday weekend there have been 17 Boating Under the Influence arrests across Georgia. So, far on Lake Harding in Harris County, game wardens tell us there have been none.
And they way to keep it that way.
They are encouraging those operating boats to use caution and make sure when they are drinking alcohol, they don’t exceed the legal .08 limit.
“So, in the past few years, BUI has been up, and up, and up on the lakes that we work over here," Castelli said. "This year has been significantly better, actually. I don’t know if it’s a weather thing or generally folks obeying the law on the lake. But we are seeing a decrease this year. And we hope to maintain that throughout the summer.”
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