Dock and Pier Management: Public Access and Navigational Impacts

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Management of Small Docks and Piers
Navigation and Public Access Issues
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This presentation funded by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National
Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and The Office
of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management Materi
als prepared by Steve Bliven of Bliven Sternack
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General Impacts to Navigation

• Extending into federal navigation
• projects or traditional navigation
• passages.
• Extending into a designated mooring
• field.
• Disrupting navigation between docks

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Limit of Federal Project
3 X Channel Depth Minimum Setback

Mean Low Water
Mean High Water
Note Coordinates required for limits of
structure 200 or less from federal project
Shore
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Mean High Water
Mean Low Water
Reasonable Riparian Line
P/L
P/L
P/L
Not to scale
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Mean High Water
Mean Low Water
Maximum 25
Minimum 50
Reasonable Riparian Line
P/L
P/L
P/L
Not to scale
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Mean High Water
Mean Low Water
Maximum Length
Reasonable Riparian Line
P/L
P/L
P/L
Not to scale
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Impacts to visual ability to navigate
Sight lines Significantly limited
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Mean High Water
Mean Low Water
Min. 25
Min. 25
Reasonable Riparian Line
P/L
P/L
P/L
Not to scale
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Mean High Water
Mean Low Water
Infilling with new docks
P/L
P/L
P/L
Not to scale
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Mean High Water
Mean Low Water
P/L
P/L
P/L
Not to scale
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Mean High Water
Mean Low Water
X
P/L
P/L
P/L
Not to scale
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Mean High Water
Mean Low Water
P/L
P/L
P/L
Not to scale
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Mean High Water
Mean Low Water
Inter-tidal lands
Public Trust Areas
Sub-tidal lands and waters
Not to scale
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Lateral Access Along the Shore
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(No Transcript)
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Mean High Water
Mean Low Water
Danger from Vessels
Lateral Access Blocked





Private Property (Upland)
Private Property (Upland)
Private Property (Upland)
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Mitigating Impacts to Public Access

• Require comfortable passage past the dock

• Minimum height/width opening through
• the structure to allow foot passage
• Stairs to allow passage over the structure
• Right of way around landward end of
• structure

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Mitigating Impacts to Public Access

• Require comfortable passage past the dock
• Establish setbacks from shellfishing or
• aquaculture areas
• Negotiate perpendicular access
• Rules for safe boating in nearshore waters