Why the water picks the dock
Loading docks are built to be open. The doors are tall, the thresholds sit lower than most people think, and the truck court is often paved right up to the wall. In a hard rain, that pavement sheds water toward the low point. When the low point is a door with a worn bottom seal, or a leveler pit that holds water, the runoff comes inside.
Storm water is dirtier than a supply-line leak. It carries mud, grit, oil off the pavement and whatever was lying in the truck court. That changes how the slab gets cleaned and how wetted stock gets handled, so decide on it before the first storm of the season.
Walk the dock and check
Stopgaps and real fixes
A barrier gets you through tonight's storm. A grading change gets you through the next ten.
Before the storm
- Barriers or sandbags at the low doors
- Staged pallets moved off the dock floor
- Unused doors closed and secured
- A log of which doors leaked last time
Longer-term fixes
- Regrading or added drainage at the doors
- New seals and thresholds
- Serviced leveler pit drains
- A conversation with the owner about site drainage
If water is already coming in
Stop making it worse
Close the doors you can close safely and route foot and forklift traffic away from the wet zone.
Lift what you can
Get pallets and cartons in the water's path off the floor.
Write down the door and the time
Record which door, how deep the water got and what the weather was doing.
Plan extraction and cleaning
Once the rain passes, the slab needs water removed and the residue cleaned off. Drying alone leaves the grit behind.
Common questions
Is flood coverage different from standard property coverage?
Often. Surface water and rising water can be treated differently from an internal plumbing failure, so read the policy and ask the insurer.
Who is responsible for site drainage?
The lease and the ownership structure decide that. Ask the property manager.
General information for Commerce City, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.