Coastal structures are a fascinating aspect of coastal engineering.  Without coastal structures, humans would be limited to the amount of access to waterways.  Navigation and recreational activities are made possible by dock structures.  They also provide protection to coastlines.  It is important though for local units of government to implement responsible guidelines for shoreline development.  Such shoreline development consists of moorings, docks, and berthing areas for boats.

Shoreland development guidelines are implemented by state agencies, such as  Minnesota's and Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources.  A guideline set by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources includes the restriction of recreational docks to be less than 120 m^2.  The objective of these guidelines aims at protecting the natural shorelines of lakes.

As the development of coastal shorelines in lakes increases, there have been known cases of shoreline deterioration.  In researching the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website, there was little information on the effect of docking structures on the wave energy created by lakes.   We investigate  the wave energy of water as it propogates through simulated column obstacles.

Such questions that we think needed to be answered are as follows:

Do dock piers significantly break up wave energy as it approaches the shore?

If so, what srategies can the MN Department of Natural Resources implement in order to decrease the detrimental effects on the shorelines?

Importance:  Installing docks for water based recreational activities have the potential to cause water surface disruptions which can induce negative impacts on the respective shoreline.  Therefore, strict guidelines on the dock space over water areas should be implemented to protect the environment.