AUGUSTA – Maine wardens have stepped up patrols of the state’s lakes and rivers for the Fourth of July weekend.

Warden Service Col. Joel Wilkinson said wardens are cracking down on drunken boaters as well as enforcing watercraft safety laws.

The Warden Service says 16 people died in boat-related incidents on Maine’s inland waterways last year, tying 2005 as the deadliest year on record. One person has died this year.