Section NR 328.31 - Purpose(1) The purpose of this subchapter is to establish reasonable procedures and limitations for general permits and individual permits for placement of shore erosion control structures in rivers and streams as regulated under s. 30.12, Stats., in order to protect the public rights and interest in the navigable, public waters of the state as defined in s. 30.10, Stats.(2) The standards for general permits and individual permits in this chapter balance the reasonable right of riparians to control shore erosion under Wisconsin law with the public rights to navigation, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, water quality and natural scenic beauty in navigable waters. (Doemel v. Jantz, 180 Wis. 225, 193 N.W., 393 (1923)).(3) The standard for general permits recognizes that stream channels naturally move back and forth across their floodplains as the energy of water current is dissipated against the stream banks. Watershed land cover, reflecting rainfall infiltration and soil type, predicts the nature of in-stream habitat features as well as the extent of stream channel movement.(4) This subchapter establishes differing choices of the types of general permits available based on ecoregion and land-use principles. Streams in predominantly forested watersheds have a high percent of natural shore vegetation, including wetlands and large woody cover. Streams of the Northern Lakes and Forests and the North Central Hardwood Ecoregions are environmentally healthy in comparison to other ecoregions that contain more agricultural and urban land use. Streams in predominantly forested watersheds also exhibit seasonally stable flows. Conversely, streams in agriculturally dominant watersheds exhibit more frequent and larger flooding events. These higher flows create severe bank erosion problems. Eroding banks deliver large amounts of sediment and impair instream habitat. Streams in predominantly urban watersheds are frequently confined by man-made structures, residences, and industries that cannot be moved. This subchapter establishes a broader array of general permits available for streams in agricultural or urban dominant watersheds.(5) This subchapter authorizes bank erosion control treatments based on erosive potential at a site within the stream. Erosive potential is a reflection of habitat features at a site. Natural shoreline features provide natural erosion control in various ways. The force of current sorts out sand, gravel, cobbles, boulders and bedrock from beneath glacial till and other fine soils. These more energy resistant materials form energy-absorbing barriers that eliminate, or slow, erosion. Natural vegetation provides erosion control in several ways. Plant roots form a matrix that holds soil particles together to stabilize banks. Exposed stalks, stems, branches, foliage and fallen trees dampen waves, reduce local flow velocities, and dissipate energy against the plant rather than eroding the soil. Low-erosion potential sites are often typified by abundant natural vegetation, gradually sloped banks, gravel/rubble/boulder substrates at the toe of the bank, and no stratified soil layers. At low erosion potential and some moderate erosion potential sites, vegetation can effectively meet erosion control needs without infringement on habitat, navigation, natural scenic beauty or other public interests. Vegetation alone may be inadequate in some moderate erosion potential sites and many high erosion potential sites; therefore, methods that rely on technical structures or a combination of vegetation with technical structures may be necessary. Re-vegetated, topsoil-covered riprap and integrated bank protection are preferred structural bank protection methods in high-erosive potential settings.(6) Standards for general permits are intended to ensure that cumulative adverse environmental impact of authorized activities is insignificant and that issuance of the general permit will not injure public rights or interests, cause environmental pollution as defined in s. 299.01(4), Stats., or result in material injury to the rights of any riparian owner. To achieve this, general permit standards establish: construction and design requirements consistent with the purpose of the activity; location requirements that ensure that the activity will not have an adverse impact on fish and wildlife habitat, water quality and natural scenic beauty, or materially interfere with navigation or have an adverse impact on the riparian property rights of adjacent riparian owners.(7) Factors for individual permits are intended to provide direction for detailed evaluation of permit applications, and to balance case-by-case review with consistent decision-making. Individual permits may only be granted where the department determines that the structure will not materially obstruct navigation, will not be detrimental to the public interest, and will not materially reduce the flood flow capacity of a stream.Wis. Admin. Code Department of Natural Resources § NR 328.31
CR 06-126: cr. Register July 2007 No. 619, eff. 8-1-07.