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Originally Posted by MJP
Most people who have permanent docks have winter circulators. These are simply machines that keep the water moving, do no harm to the environment, and keep ice from forming around these docks in winter. Even these are no match for Mother Nature, however. Even the most sturdily built dock with multiple circulators cannot battle against ice floes. A few years back one of my neighbors, who has a very sturdy dock and circulators, stood there and watched a big chuck of ice during ice-out take away 1/2 his u-dock in seconds. That was over $5,000 in damage in a blink of an eye. There is simply nothing anyone can do when nature takes its course. So, I wish people would stop trying to blame shore owners and scold them for not having sturdy docks.
As for floods and waves... Like ice, we can't control or predict flooding. No one ever saw this perhaps-once-in-a-lifetime type of situation coming, not even the weathermen. We do the best we can with the money we have to keep our docks from letting go and causing public danger. No one could predict the kinds of beatings our docks would take last fall and now again this spring. But, the thing is, there are NO MACHINES that can stop wave action, and this CAN BE CONTROLLED by people, so it should have been.
So, please stop criticizing us and realize we are as much concerned about public safety and danger to wildlife as we are about our own property damage, maybe even more. A dock can be rebuilt, but a child getting hurt while tubing (yes, they did it in the fruit salad of debris right in front of our house on Sunday) or a loon nest with eggs destroyed just so someone can get an adrenaline rush, is unthinkable.
Hope this is the last time I have to reiterate this...  |
You can roll your eyes at me all you want but if you continually sustain damage to you dock you really ought to consider making it removable. Same for your neighbor unless they have $5000 to throw away every few years. I spend a lot of time on another lake and every year we put the dock in and take the dock out. The dock has survived for 18 years and has plenty of life left. I doubt the 24'x6' main dock plus the 4'x8' extension cost more than $3000 to build, including the wheels on which it rolls (which make it easily removeable). It can be put in and taken out by one person and uses nothing but "off the shelf" hardware that's widely available around the lake. It's also modular and can be expanded in size with no added difficulty. I am not criticizing or scolding you, just trying to offer a suggestion.
I was not out there tubing in the debris or making wakes at your place this weekend.
If you are expecting people to behave themselves out of the goodness in their hearts, you are bound for disappointment. Most people are not very considerate. You can complain about people making wakes on this forum and call the MP forever and I can assure you the wakes and erosion will continue as always. Instead of complaining, I suggest doing something to help yourself. You are blessed with the luxury of living in one of the most beuatiful places on this earth, yet you come here looking for sympathy when you have to deal with some of the occasional downsides of lake living. I'll save my sympathy for folks that dealt with "real" flooding issues; folks in NH/MA whose homes were destroyed by the recent rains, folks who survived the recent tsunami, or the Hurricane survivors down south.