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Boats docks have been constructed for centuries to make boating far easier. Today, the industry has grown exponentially, with numerous firms, both global and local, marketing a variety of different products to boaters around the world. These products have made boating easier, cheaper and safer for many consumers. However, what is less widely known than the industry’s success is that there is a certain dark side to the industry. While increases in technology have made installing boat docks far easier and inexpensive, what many do not know is that the installation of boat docks can actually cause a great deal of environmental damage, for several reasons.

One of the reasons that that the installation of boat docks can be very environmentally harmful is that the materials used are not always conducive to the environment. However, this problem is easily rectified and much is being done today to ensure that all materials used in the construction of boat docks are environmentally friendly. Instead of using harmful foams, many companies are beginning to use environmentally friendly plastics and stainless steels.

The installation of boat docks can also cause environmental damage because the installation process can displace or damage wildlife. Local marsh and underwater grasses can be trampled or displaced during the process of installation of a boat dock. After the boat dock is installed, the hope is that they will eventually grow back around the dock, but in some cases they are permanently displaced. In some locations, these grasses are an essential part of the ecosystem and their displacement can cause immense and sometimes harmful changes to the environment.

Finally, the installation of boat docks also diminishes important wetland functions, causing further environmental functions. Flood storage, pollutant uptake and erosion control, functions that all occur naturally in any water environment, can be severely upset by the installation of a boat dock. The results can be minimal, or in some cases, disastrous. Without natural flood control, waterfront property can be severely damaged in the event of excessive rains. Without natural pollutant uptake, any pollutants that find their way into the body of water are likely to stay there, making the area unsafe for swimming and greatly decreasing inhabitants’ enjoyment of the area. It can also affect the plants and animals who call the body of water their home, even leading to extinction in extreme cases. Finally, a lack of natural erosion control can be the most harmful of all. Erosion can damage the natural landscape as well as the waterfront property that lines the shore. It is also irreparable in most cases.

A fairly simple solution to these environmental damages that are often incurred with the installation of a boat dock is to be sure to do thorough research before the boat dock is installed. An examination of the area and the ecosystem can help firms to develop a plan of how best to install the dock in a way that will impact the environment as little as possible. Installing the boat dock so that local plants are not disturbed and important waterway functions are allowed to continue as usual will ensure that the environment will be far better protected for years to come.

Individual owners of boats who are considering installing a boat dock have a responsibility to the environment to carefully think the process through. They should be sure that their property is not part of any protected wildlife, and they should be confident that their dock builder is capable and competent. They should ask questions about which materials will be used and how the dock will be installed. The dock builder should be able to readily provide information on exactly how much the surrounding wildlife will be disturbed by the installation of the boat dock, so the consumer can make an informed decision.

This dark side to the industry is not a suggestion that the production of boat docks should cease, that would be impractical and nearly impossible, but rather that the firms who do produce boat docks dedicate themselves to ensuring that the processes of production and installation are as environmentally friendly as they can possibly be. This means dedicating resources to researching the exact effect their products have on the environment, and what the safest way to install and use boat docks is. With so many advances in technology today, it is certainly within the realm of possibility to develop methods of production and installation that are both beneficial to the needs of customers and friendly to the environment in which they reside. While it may be impossible to escape all of the environmental damage that is incurred with the production and installation of boat docks, it is certainly possible to greatly reduce the impact of these damages, and reduce this dark side to the industry.