Chapter NR 347

Chapter NR 347

SEDIMENT SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS, MONITORING PROTOCOL AND DISPOSAL CRITERIA FOR DREDGING PROJECTS

NR 347.01   Purpose and policy.

NR 347.02   Applicability.

NR 347.03   Definitions.

NR 347.04   Permits, approvals and reviews required.

NR 347.05   Preliminary application and analytical requirements.

NR 347.06   Sampling and analysis.

NR 347.07   Review procedures and review criteria.

NR 347.08   Monitoring, reporting and enforcement.

Ch. NR 347 Note Note: Chapter NR 347 as it existed on February 28, 1989 was repealed and new chapter NR 347 was created effective March 1, 1989.

NR 347.01 NR 347.01 Purpose and policy.

NR 347.01(1) (1) The purpose of this chapter is to protect the public rights and interest in the waters of the state by specifying definitions, sediment sampling and analysis requirements, disposal criteria and monitoring requirements for dredging projects regulated under one or more of the following statutes: s. 30.20, Stats., which requires a contract or permit for the removal of material from the beds of waterways; s. 281.41, Stats., which establishes a wastewater treatment facility plan approval program; ch. 289, Stats., which establishes the solid waste management program; ch. 291, Stats., which establishes the hazardous waste program; and ch. 283, Stats., which establishes the Wisconsin pollutant discharge elimination system (WPDES) program.

NR 347.01(2) (2) It is department policy to encourage reuse of dredged material and to minimize environmental harm resulting from a dredging project.

NR 347.01 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1989, No. 398, eff. 3-1-89; corrections in (1) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register January 2002 No. 553.

NR 347.02 NR 347.02 Applicability. The provisions of this chapter apply to the removal and disposal of material from the beds of waterways except where exempted by statute.

NR 347.02 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1989, No. 398, eff. 3-1-89.

NR 347.03 NR 347.03 Definitions.

NR 347.03(1) (1) “Analyte” means the chemical substance or physical property being tested for in a sample.

NR 347.03(2) (2) “Bathymetry” means the measurement of depth of water in lakes or rivers to determine lake or river bed topography.

NR 347.03(3) (3) “Beach nourishment disposal” means the disposal of dredged material on the beaches or in the water landward from the ordinary high-water mark of Lakes Michigan and Superior for the purpose of adding, replenishing or preventing erosion of beach material.

NR 347.03(4) (4) “Bioassay” means a method for determining the acute or chronic toxicity of a material by studying its effects on test organisms under controlled conditions.

NR 347.03(5) (5) “Bulk sediment analysis” means a test to measure the total concentration of a specific constituent in a sample being analyzed.

NR 347.03(6) (6) “Carriage water” means the water portion of a slurry of water and dredged material.

NR 347.03(7) (7) “Carriage water return flow” means the carriage water which is returned to a receiving water after separation of the dredged material from the carriage water in a disposal, rehandling or treatment facility.

NR 347.03(8) (8) “Connecting waterways” means a portion of a navigable lake or stream which is directly joined to Lake Michigan or Lake Superior and which contains a navigation channel providing access for commercial or recreational watercraft to Lake Michigan or Lake Superior.

NR 347.03(9) (9) “Contamination” means a solid, liquid or gaseous material, microorganism, noise, heat, odor, or radiation, alone or in any combination, that may harm the quality of the environment in any way.

NR 347.03(10) (10) “Contract” means a binding written agreement between the department and a dredging applicant authorizing the removal of material from the bed of a natural navigable lake or outlying water.

NR 347.03(11) (11) “Department” means the department of natural resources

NR 347.03(12) (12) “Disposal facility” means a site or facility for the disposal of dredged material.

NR 347.03(13) (13) “Dredged material” means any material removed from the bed of any waterway by dredging.

NR 347.03(14) (14) “Dredging” means any part of the process of the removal of material from the beds of waterways; transport of the material to a disposal, rehandling or treatment facility; treatment of the material; discharge of carriage or interstitial water; and disposal of the material.

NR 347.03(15) (15) “Grain size analysis” means a method to determine dredged material and disposal site sediment particle size distribution.

NR 347.03(16) (16) “Hazardous waste”, as defined in s. 291.01 (7), Stats., means any solid waste identified as a hazardous waste under ch. NR 661.

NR 347.03(17) (17) “Interstitial water” means water contained in the interstices or voids of soil or rock in the dredged material.

NR 347.03(18) (18) “Limit of detection” means the lowest concentration level that can be determined to be statistically different from a blank sample for that analytical test method and sample matrix.

NR 347.03(19) (19) “Limit of quantitation” (LOQ) means the concentration of an analyte at which one can state with a stated degree of confidence for that analytical test method and sample matrix that an analyte is present at a specific concentration in the sample tested.

NR 347.03(20) (20) “Parent material” means the native unconsolidated material which overlies the bedrock.

NR 347.03(21) (21) “PCBs” means those materials defined in s. 299.45 (1) (a), Stats.

NR 347.03(22) (22) “Particle size distribution” means a cumulative frequency distribution or frequency distribution of percentages of particles of specified diameters in a sample.

NR 347.03(23) (23) “Rehandling facility” means a temporary storage site or facility used during the transportation of dredged material to a treatment or disposal facility.

NR 347.03(24) (24) “Treatment facility” in this chapter means a natural or artificial confinement facility used for the separation of dredged material solids from the interstitial or carriage water.

NR 347.03(25) (25) “Upland disposal” means the disposal of dredged materials landward from the ordinary high-water mark of a waterway or waterbody.

NR 347.03 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1989, No. 398, eff. 3-1-89; correction in (16) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register, October, 1995, No. 478; correction in (16) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register May 2013 No. 689.

NR 347.04 NR 347.04 Permits, approvals and reviews required.

NR 347.04(1) (1) The following are the permit, approval and review requirements for dredging projects:

NR 347.04(1)(a) (a) Except where otherwise provided by law, all private and municipal dredging projects require a permit or contract under s. 30.20, Stats., and ch. NR 346. Dredging in portions of the Mississippi, St. Croix and Black rivers by the U.S. army corps of engineers is governed by s. 30.202, Stats.

NR 347.04(1)(b) (b) All dredging projects require review under ch. 289, Stats., and chs. NR 500 to 520 for disposal of dredged material under the solid waste management program.

NR 347.04(1)(c) (c) All dredging projects shall be reviewed under ss. 1.11 and 23.11 (5), Stats., and ch. NR 150 for compliance with the Wisconsin environmental policy act.

NR 347.04(1)(d) (d) All federally funded, permitted or sponsored dredging projects require water quality certification under ss. 281.11 to 281.36 (12) and 283.001, Stats., and ch. NR 299.

NR 347.04(1)(e) (e) A Wisconsin pollutant discharge elimination system (WPDES) permit under ch. 283, Stats., is required for dredging projects with carriage water return flows to surface water or groundwater.

NR 347.04(1)(f) (f) Plan approval under s. 281.41, Stats., is required for dredging projects which include a dredged material treatment facility.

NR 347.04(1)(g) (g) Sites and facilities for the disposal of hazardous waste and PCBs require review under subch. IV of ch. 291, Stats., and s. 299.45, Stats., and chs. NR 500 to 520 and 660 to 670.

NR 347.04(2) (2) The project application process shall be coordinated by the department. Except as otherwise provided by law, decisions on all applicable department approvals, permits, contracts and licenses relating to a dredging project shall be made concurrently and with the decision on:

NR 347.04(2)(a) (a) Water quality certification under ch. NR 299 for all federally funded, permitted or sponsored projects, or

NR 347.04(2)(b) (b) Permit or contract under s. 30.20, Stats., and ch. NR 346 for all other projects.

NR 347.04 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1989, No. 398, eff. 3-1-89; corrections in (1) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register, October, 1995, No. 478; corrections in (1) (b), (d), (e), (f), and (g) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register January 2002 No. 553; corrections in (1) (d), (g) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register May 2013 No. 689.