Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Increases Patrols on Hartwell Lake Over July 4th Holiday

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR

With the Fourth of July falling on a Sunday this weekend promises to be extremely busy on Lake Hartwell.

And that’s why the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division is reminding boaters and PWC operators to use extra caution this weekend when on the water.

DNR Law Enforcement Officer Craig Fulghum patrols Lake Harwell along with several other DNR officers. Fulghum said more and more people are coming to the lake who are not familiar with it.

“A lot of these people are new boaters so it may be the first time they’ve ever been on a boat or operated a boat,” he said. “And that puts more stress on the lake and on our DNR Officers working that are encountering more problems just because the more people you have coming into a particular area, the more problems you do have.”

Fulghum said Hartwell Lake has seen record numbers of people coming to the lake to boat, camp, swim, and have a good time.

He says when you’re out on the lake just like when you’re behind the wheel of your vehicle on land, you need to drive defensively.

“The biggest thing I can tell you is to slow down, watching your surroundings, watching everybody else. And just because you’re doing everything right doesn’t mean you can’t get wrapped up in somebody else’s problem,” Fulghum pointed out. “And if you’re not familiar with this waterway, always get off the water at sunset.”

Earlier this week we told you about an accident on Tugalo Lake in Rabun County in which a firefighter was killed by a boater when he fell off an inner tube.

DNR Law Enforcement spokesman Mark McKinnon said the boat operator was charged with operating a boat under the influence at the time of the accident, had no proof of having taken the boater education course and the boat did not have a valid registration.

Fulghum said he and his team in Georgia along with the South Carolina DNR officers will be on the lake this weekend watching and checking on watercraft operators and boaters this weekend for BUIs and life jackets.

“Anyone born after 1998 is legally required to have a boating education license,” he said. “You have to make sure you have a life-jacket that is in good serviceable condition for each person onboard the boat. This weekend, Georgia along with other states, has implemented a joint effort for Operation Dry Water. We have a zero-tolerance on drinking and boating or drugs and boating. If you’re out there and that’s what your planning on doing this weekend, there’s going to be an increase of officers out there working to take impaired boaters off the water before an incident occurs.”

And if you plan to watch fireworks on the lake from your boat or PWC this weekend, Fulghum said to make sure the lights on your boat or PWC are operating correctly before it gets dark.

“July 4th is always a busy time on Lake Hartwell. We do have fireworks going off in the different coves. So if you do plan to be out there on your boat to watch the fireworks, make sure your lights are in good working order. Not being able to see where you’re going just increases your chances of an incident,” he said.

To report a boating or PWC incident this weekend you can call 911 who will get in touch with the Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division.

Also, if you are short on life jackets, there is a life jacket lending station at the Tugaloo Mega Ramp at Tugaloo State Park in Lavonia.