Docks & Dock Maintenance

 

Herrington Lake is in Boyle, Garrard and Mercer counties. In all three counties, there are ordinances for constructing & repairing floating structures on the waters of Herrington Lake.  An ordinance is a law adopted & enforced by a municipality. These ordinances include materials allowed to be used, the disposal of old materials and building regulations.

 

A permit is required to construct, improve or make additions to any floating structure on the water & heading towards to the water. This includes walkways, docks, floats, decks, floating houses and marinas.  Permit applications are available at the County Judge Executive’s office. The permits are relatively inexpensive & help document your structure and make sure they comply with safety standards.

 

Any Styrofoam that is not factory encapsulated, IS NOT ALLOWED on the water (there may be other options or treatments available and those will be assessed on a case-by-case basis). Open foam, steel barrels and plastic barrels are not allowed as floats to support a structure.  Existing docks with these materials are accepted.  If an existing dock currently in the water and made with these materials is moved on the lake, it is acceptable to leave the materials if the dock is not removed from the water.  If portions of the dock are to be re-built, then those portions must be brought up to the new standard.  This would not include typical maintenance. Disposal of open foam is the owner’s responsibility. 

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These ordinances are enforced by the County Building Inspection Program Officials. There are penalties for not complying with these regulations.  Folks who do not wish to comply are reported to the County Attorney and the case is handled through that office and court.   

 

Birds, turtles and fish mistake the tiny foam nodules as fish eggs and eat them. Eat them. The foam clogs their intestines and causes a variety of different health problems.  Recently, a land-based turtle rescued in a Florida waterway was unable to submerge due to the amount of Styrofoam trapped in its body, making it permanently buoyant.

Plastic and Styrofoam pose threats too. They act as a transport medium for toxic chemicals. Many of these pellets contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The chemicals were either absorbed from ambient water or used in the manufacture of plasticizers prior to the 1970s.

The regulations have been adopted to help beautify Herrington Lake and preserve wildlife.  Anyone around the lake is aware of the floating debris in early spring.  Anything we can do to help clean this environment will help preserve this waterway for the future.

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 HLCL has 4 dumpsters: 2 at Pandora and 1 at Kamp Kennedy, and 1 at Mid-lake for the use of disposing of man-made debris and trash from the lake.  Please note: cutting open foam loose in the water is not acceptable. 

 

If you enjoy the Lake, please do your part to help preserve it!