Sunny skies and hot weather have many Austinites hitting Lake Austin looking for a good time with friends and family.
Craig Welborn, 28, has a 24 pack of beer in hand and is looking forward to a weekend of boating with his twin brother.
"I'm going to be having a good time, drinking a couple of cold beers and enjoy the sun," Welborn explained.
Officers with the Austin Police Department's DWI Enforcement and Lake Patrol Units and Texas Parks and Wildlife are also hitting the water.
They're pulling over boaters and making sure boaters they are in compliance with all boating laws, especially those that relate to boating while intoxicated, or BWI.
"Our focus is their safety and our focus is for them to have a good time while they're out here and to be safe and go home," explained Officer West Williams, who is conducting patrols.
Williams said giving citations is not a main priority.
"We've written warnings and had verbal conversations with people. I would say that we have had more verbal conversations with individuals than we've actually done anything on paper." Williams added.
Lack of written citations involving a recently enforced noise ordinance demonstrates Williams' attitude. He told KXAN, only one citation has been written, despite about 50 boats in violation being pulled over.
WIlliams also said despite dozens of stops this past Memorial Day Weekend, only four people were cited for BWI.
However, on Memorial Day 2009, only one person was cited for BWI. Williams said this should show boaters that police are patrolling and looking for intoxicated boaters.
"We have had a 400 percent increase," Williams said.
Under the Water Safety Act, Williams and other officers can stop any boater at any time without probable cause and conduct a safety inspection.
However, while this does leave boaters opening to being stopped, the law is on the boater's side. In Texas, it is not illegal to drive a boat while drinking. Driving a boat while intoxicated, however, is against the law.
Welborn told KXAN he has been stopped twice but still agrees with fellow boater Gordon Marshall stops are needed.
"Who would want a drunk boater right next to them?" Marshall asked. "I am sure no one wants to run over anybody. No one is trying to do any body harm, but if you get a little to happy with the beer, you're liable to make mistakes."
Mistakes Williams and officers want to make sure do not happen in this 21 mile long lake.
Plans to patrol Lake Austin with this many officers for intoxicated drivers, as well as reckless boaters, is something Williams is pushing to make permanent each weekend.
