Lake Hartwell expected to be busy today for Labor Day holiday

It’s the last official holiday of summer and once again, it’s expected to be busy on Lake Hartwell as visitors converge on the lake for the Labor Day holiday.

That’s why the Georgia Department of Natural Resources reminds everyone to remember a few simple safety measures to ensure you and your loved ones have a safe weekend on the water.

DNR Law Enforcement officer Craig Fulghum says he and fellow DNR officers will be out on the water this weekend checking boating registrations and looking for impaired boaters.

Georgia has a zero tolerance for impaired boating, and if caught you will go to jail.

Fulghum recommends that, just as you have a designated driver when drinking on land, you have a “designated skipper” if you plan to have alcohol on your boat.

Additionally with more boaters on the water, 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.

In Georgia, the fine for boating under the influence is $1,000 plus court costs and an immediate trip to jail.

In South Carolina, it’s also a trip to jail, a $470 fine, a six-month suspension of your boating license and you must also take a boating safety class.

Fulghum said he and his team in Georgia along with the South Carolina DNR officers will also check on watercraft operators and boaters making sure b boats have enough life jackets for everyone on board.

And 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 as well as some parks and campgrounds on the lake.

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