It was an extensively busy Fourth of July weekend along the waterways of Georgia's parks and lakes regions.
The latest numbers of incidents from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) indicades that as of Sunday, July 6, 2025, there were a total of 40 Boating Under the Influcence (BUI) citations reported by law enforcement across Georgia, including 14 in the Gainesville region, 10 of which were reported from Lake Lanier. A total of five boating incidents occurred in the Northeast Georgia/Gainesville region were reported, including two separate boating explosions on Friday, July 4th along Lake Lanier and Lake Nottely. DNR and area Hall and Union Counties Fire Rescue and EMS crews reported that seven people were injured in each of those explosions, which remain under investigation.
Across the state, a total of 19 people were reported injured from 17 waterway motorized accidents. Three separate drownings were also reported statewide through Sunday, July 6th, according to the DNR's numbers, one in the Acworth/ West Point region, another in the Thomson region, and the third in the Metter region. Two boating fatalities have been recorded from the Acworth and Thomson regions by the latest numbers from the DNR.
