Snow removal for marinas: storage rows, jack stands and the water’s edge

What makes a marina different in winter?

Macomb County has 32 miles of Lake St. Clair shoreline, and marinas line much of it, from St. Clair Shores to Harrison Township and Chesterfield Township. In winter most boats sit ashore: shrink-wrapped hulls in tight rows on jack stands, cradles and trailers, with lanes between for the yard's trailers and lifts.

That changes the job. The things a blade can hit are boats, or the steel holding them up. The lot ends at a drop into the water, and snow hides it. The nearest place to push snow is the lake. And owners visit all winter to check covers and batteries, so the walks into the rows matter as much as the office lot.

What gets cleared first, and by when?

Winter office and gate hours vary by marina. Put the real ones in the contract.

Moving boats on a hydraulic trailer is closer to industrial yard work than to plowing a parking lot, so the yard manager decides which lanes must be open, and how wide.

How do you plow between rows of boats on jack stands?

Jack stands are built to push straight up against a hull, not to take a sideways shove. BoatUS warns that misaligned stands can be forced out as the load comes on, that safety chains are needed to keep them from slipping out from under a hull, and that bases can sink and shift when the ground softens. A windrow pushed into a stand is exactly the wrong load.

1. Plow down the center of each lane and carry the snow to the end of the row, never sideways into it.
2. Keep an agreed buffer from stands, cradles, keel blocks and trailer wheels, and finish the last few feet by hand.
3. Watch for the plywood pads under stand bases. A blade that catches one can drag the stand with it.
4. Stop and report any contact. The yard manager decides whether the boat needs reblocking.

Snow also slides off shrink-wrap in heavy sheets, and wet snow weighs far more than it looks; see heavy wet snow vs light snow. BoatUS notes that poorly supported covers collect snow and water that add considerable weight. Clearing covers is the owner's and the marina's call; snow crews stay off the boats.

Which hazards need stakes before the first storm?

Mark the lift well and seawall with tall stakes every few feet, barricade the well if the yard allows, and keep every pile back from the edge so nobody steps onto a shelf of snow over water.

Can snow be pushed into the lake?

No. Snow disposal guidance from the Water Resources Division of what is now Michigan EGLE, written mainly for municipalities, notes that snow cleared from lots carries salt, sand, litter, heavy metals and petroleum products, and cites Part 31 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, which prohibits discharging pollutants that can impair the state's waters. Disposal sites belong away from shores, bodies of water and the ice above them, at least 50 feet from the ordinary high water mark, behind silt fence or a similar barrier. That rules out every marina shortcut: off a dock, over a seawall, down a launch ramp or onto the ice.

Storm drains count too. Macomb County Public Works says the county's drains carry storm water, rain and melting snow, that ends up in Lake St. Clair. A pile on a catch basin sends its runoff there and blocks the drain, so meltwater pools and refreezes in the lane. This is general information, not legal advice.

Where should the snow go instead?

Mark stacking zones on the site map before the season:

• At the inland edge of the yard, at least 50 feet from the ordinary high water mark.
• Downhill of the lanes, so meltwater does not run back across them.
• Off catch basins, with room between every pile and the nearest boat.
• Out of fire lanes and sight lines at the entrance and lane corners.

When the yard fills up, the answer is relocation or hauling agreed in advance, never the water; see where to put snow in a parking lot. Keep salt and sand to the walks and lanes people use, and sweep up winter grit in spring before rain carries it to the lake.

Records and contract questions

Keep timestamped records of every visit and treatment, plus the yard's own checks of the rows after storms and thaws. Photos of the rows before the season settle questions about a stand that moved. Before signing for commercial snow removal, ask:

1. Does the site map show rows, lanes, the lift well, seawall, ramps and stacking zones?
2. What buffer will the crew keep from stands, and what is cleared by hand?
3. Who gets called if equipment touches a stand or a boat?
4. Is snow ever pushed toward the water? The answer should be no.
5. Which products are used near the water and the boats?
6. When do owners have access, and are their routes treated?