The Labor Day holiday is often considered the last big boating weekend of the year in Iowa. Randy Edwards of the Department of Natural Resources says Storm Lake, a few other lakes in northwest Iowa, and some inland streams are too low for boating.Iowa’s new drunken boating law took effect July 1st, making the rules for operating a boat the same as driving a car. Edwards says a handful of boaters have been charged with drunken boating so far this year.Edwards says proper boating etiquette calls on captains to maintain proper speed and distance, and some lakes have “no wake” rules.There are over two hundred thousand boats registered in Iowa.Edwards says Lake Delhi in Delaware County is the most-heavily-used body of water in Iowa, with the Okoboji area running a close second. About 40 percent of Iowa’s boating accidents occur on East and West Okoboji. Over one thousand Americans lose their lives each year in boating accidents — more than the number who die in plane crashes.
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