The timber pilings used for marine dock construction are often treated with a protective coating of chromated copper arsenate (CCA). This coating is supposed to help preserve the wood against deterioration from fungal decay, termites, and other wood-boring marine life, but it’s only temporary. The wood beneath the water’s surface, and especially the wood that sits between the high and low tides, gets ravaged by waterborne marine organisms once the coating begins to fade.
This could be offset by a greater application of CCA, but the amount used for the treating of lumber is highly regulated. This is because this chemical preservative will eventually leach off into the water, and it’s important to minimize the ecological impact that CCA has on our waters.
PVC Is an excellent material to use for piling protection because it does not corrode or decay. Even the oldest PVC created still holds strong with no signs of deterioration. The reason plastic is thought of as being bad for the environment is because it simply won’t break down. This means that litter and trash that make it into landfills and oceans will be around forever, which does pose environmental problems. What makes plastic so harmful is also what makes it so great. If trying to preserve something forever, there is no better material to use. It is extremely durable, and salt-derived chlorine makes up more than half of its chemical composition—making it a far more eco-friendly choice than oil-derived plastics.