Mercer Island Police patrol Lake Washington during 4th of July



BELLEVUE, Wash. -- The weather turned out to be beautiful for the Fourth of July, and many in western Washington took the opportunity to enjoy the water.

Hundreds of people hit Lake Washington, which is why Sgt. Brian Noel with Mercer Island Police was out.

He and two other teams patrolled the waters from Bellevue down to Renton throughout the day.

The crews' major focus was the hundreds of boats out during the fireworks show. They were also making sure people driving boats weren't drunk.

“You could be arrested for it, and if we can’t find another sober person on your boat we’ll impound the vessel," Sgt. Noel said.

The crews also made sure boaters followed safety requirements, like having life vests.

If you’re caught not following the requirements you can face hefty fines, or even be forced to get off the water.

This weekend is the start of heightened enforcement for Operation Dry Water, an effort against boating under the influence.