Chapter 281

281.665(4)(b) (b) In any fiscal year, the department may not provide to any applicant more than 20 percent of the funding available under this section in the fiscal year.

281.665(4)(c) (c)

281.665(4)(c)1. 1. Notwithstanding pars. (a) and (b) and subject to subd. 2., the department shall provide a cost-sharing grant under this section for a project described under sub. (5) (d) in an amount sufficient to accomplish the flood-control goals of the project as proposed in the application, but not to exceed $14,600,000.

281.665(4)(c)2. 2. The department may not provide a cost-sharing grant under subd. 1. unless the department first notifies the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance, in writing, that it intends to award the grant. The notice shall contain a description of the purposes proposed for expenditure of the moneys received as a part of the grant. If the cochairpersons of the committee do not notify the department that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the proposed grant within 14 working days after the date of the department’s notification, the moneys may be awarded as proposed by the department. If, within 14 working days after the date of the department’s notification, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the department that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the proposed grant, no moneys may be awarded without the approval of the committee.

281.665(5) (5) Eligibility and scoring criteria.

281.665(5)(a) (a) The department shall promulgate rules specifying eligibility criteria for projects under this section and for determining which eligible projects will receive financial assistance under this section.

281.665(5)(b) (b) The department may not provide a cost-sharing grant for a project under this section if any of the following applies:

281.665(5)(b)1. 1. The project would transfer flooding downstream.

281.665(5)(b)2. 2. The project provides for the channelization of a stream or for lining a natural stream bed with concrete.

281.665(5)(b)3. 3. The project would accelerate upstream runoff.

281.665(5)(c) (c) The department shall include all of the following in the criteria for determining which eligible projects will receive cost-sharing grants under this section:

281.665(5)(c)1. 1. The extent to which a project minimizes harm to existing beneficial functions of water bodies and wetlands.

281.665(5)(c)2. 2. The extent to which a project maintains aquatic and riparian environments.

281.665(5)(c)3. 3. The extent to which a project uses storm water retention and detention structures and natural storage.

281.665(5)(c)4. 4. The extent to which a project provides opportunity for public access to water bodies and to the floodway.

281.665(5)(d) (d) Notwithstanding pars. (a) to (c), during the 2017-19, 2019-21, and 2023-25 fiscal bienniums, the department shall consider an applicant to be eligible for a cost-sharing grant for a project under this section if the project is funded, executed, designed, authorized, approved, or supervised in whole or in part by the U.S. army corps of engineers under 33 USC 701s.

281.665 History History: 1999 a. 9; 2015 a. 55; 2017 a. 59, 369; 2023 a. 19.

281.665 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. NR 199, Wis. adm. code.

281.67 281.67 Watershed projects. The department shall assist and advise the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection regarding watershed projects under 16 USC 1001 to 1008.

281.67 History History: 1981 c. 346; 1995 a. 227 s. 429; Stats. 1995 s. 281.67.

281.68 281.68 Lake management planning grants and lake monitoring and protection contracts.

281.68(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

281.68(1)(ag) (ag) “Lake” includes a flowage.

281.68(1)(ar) (ar) “Producer-led group” means any group that meets the criteria under s. 93.59 (2).

281.68(1)(b) (b) “Qualified lake association” means an association that meets the qualifications under sub. (3m) (a).

281.68(1)(c) (c) “Qualified school district” is a school district that meets the qualifications under sub. (3m) (c).

281.68(1m) (1m) Purposes of grants and contracts. The department shall develop and administer a financial assistance program to provide lake management planning grants and to award contracts under sub. (1t) for projects to provide information and education on the use of lakes and natural lake ecosystems and on the quality of water in lakes and the quality of natural lake ecosystems.

281.68(1r) (1r) Uses of grants. Lake management planning grants shall be used to improve water quality assessment and planning and to aid in the selection of activities to do any of the following:

281.68(1r)(a) (a) Prevent pollution from entering into lakes or into natural lake ecosystems.

281.68(1r)(b) (b) Protect or improve the quality of water in lakes or the quality of natural lake ecosystems.

281.68(1t) (1t) Lake monitoring and protection contracts. The department may award contracts to groups or persons for the creation and support of a statewide lake monitoring network. The contracts may include payments for the costs of all of the following:

281.68(1t)(a) (a) Training, equipment, and supplies necessary for water quality sample collection, lake surveys, and watercraft inspection.

281.68(1t)(b) (b) Handling, shipping, and laboratory analysis of water samples.

281.68(1t)(c) (c) Developing, maintaining, and managing a statewide database system for entering, tracking, evaluating, and reporting water quality and lake survey results.

281.68(1t)(d) (d) Producing and distributing water quality and lake survey results and reports.

281.68(2) (2) Amount of grants and contracts.

281.68(2)(a) (a) The department may provide a grant of 67 percent of the cost of a lake management planning project up to a total of $25,000 per grant. In each fiscal year, the total amount of moneys awarded as grants for lake management planning projects may not exceed $50,000 for any one lake.

281.68(2)(b) (b) The total amount of lake monitoring and protection contracts for each fiscal year may not exceed 25 percent of the total amount appropriated under s. 20.370 (6) (ar), (as), and (av).

281.68(3) (3) Rules for grants and contracts.

281.68(3)(a) (a) The department shall promulgate rules for the administration of the lake management planning grant program which shall include all of the following:

281.68(3)(a)1. 1. Eligible recipients to consist of nonprofit conservation organizations, as defined in s. 23.0955 (1), producer-led groups conducting producer-led group projects, counties, cities, towns, villages, qualified lake associations, town sanitary districts, qualified school districts, public inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts, and other local governmental units, as defined in s. 66.0131 (1) (a), that are established for the purpose of lake management. If a producer-led group is not a legal entity, the eligible recipient shall be a legal entity on behalf of the producer-led group.

281.68(3)(a)2. 2. Eligible activities, which shall include all of the following for lakes and natural lake ecosystems:

281.68(3)(a)2.a. a. Data collection.

281.68(3)(a)2.b. b. Assessments of water quality and of fish and aquatic life and their habitat.

281.68(3)(a)2.c. c. Assessments of the uses of a lake and the uses of the land surrounding the lake.

281.68(3)(a)2.d. d. Nonpoint source pollution evaluation.

281.68(3)(a)2.e. e. Informational or educational programs and materials.

281.68(3)(a)2.f. f. Providing programs and materials that promote the monitoring of private on-site wastewater treatment systems, the reduction in the use of environmentally harmful chemicals, water safety, and the protection of natural lake ecosystems.

281.68(3)(bg) (bg) The department shall promulgate rules for the administration of the lake monitoring and protection contracts program, which shall specify the eligible activities and qualifications for participation in the statewide lake monitoring and protection network. Eligible activities shall include providing technical assistance to public or private entities that apply for, or have received, a grant under s. 23.22 (2) (c). Qualified participants shall include counties and public or private entities that manage aquatic invasive species under a management plan approved by the department.

281.68(3m) (3m) Qualified entities.

281.68(3m)(a) (a) To be a qualified lake association, an association shall do all of the following:

281.68(3m)(a)1. 1. Demonstrate that it is incorporated under ch. 181.

281.68(3m)(a)2. 2. Specify in its articles of incorporation or bylaws that a substantial purpose of its being incorporated is to support the protection or improvement of one or more inland lakes for the benefit of the general public.

281.68(3m)(a)3. 3. Demonstrate that the substantial purpose of its past actions was to support the protection or improvement of one or more inland lakes for the benefit of the general public.

281.68(3m)(a)4. 4. Allow to be a member any individual who for at least one month each year resides on or within one mile of an inland lake for which the association was incorporated.

281.68(3m)(a)5. 5. Allow to be a member any individual who owns real estate on or within one mile of an inland lake for which the association was incorporated.

281.68(3m)(a)6. 6. Not have articles of incorporation or bylaws which limit or deny the right of any member or any class of members to vote as permitted under s. 181.0721 (1).

281.68(3m)(a)7. 7. Demonstrate that it has been in existence for at least one year.

281.68(3m)(a)8. 8. Demonstrate that it has at least 25 members.

281.68(3m)(a)9. 9. Require payment of an annual membership fee as set by the department by rule under par. (b).

281.68(3m)(b) (b) For purposes of par. (a) 9., the department shall set by rule the maximum amount and the minimum amount that may be charged as an annual membership fee.

281.68(3m)(c) (c) To be a qualified school district, the board of the school district shall adopt a resolution to conduct a lake management planning project that will do all of the following:

281.68(3m)(c)1. 1. Provide information or education on the use of lakes or natural lake ecosystems, on the quality of water in lakes, or on the quality of natural lake ecosystems.

281.68(3m)(c)2. 2. Allow another eligible recipient of grants under this section to cooperate with the school district in the project.

281.68(4) (4) Eligibility for lake management planning grants. At the completion of a lake management planning project, upon request of the recipient of a grant under this section, the department may approve recommendations made as a result of the project as eligible activities for a lake management grant under s. 281.69.

281.68 History History: 1989 a. 31; 1989 a. 160 ss. 1, 3, 4; 1989 a. 359; 1991 a. 39, 269; 1995 a. 27; 1995 a. 227 s. 430; Stats. 1995 s. 281.68; 1997 a. 79; 1999 a. 9; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 1999 a. 185; 2001 a. 16; 2003 a. 275; 2009 a. 28; 2011 a. 32, 146; 2015 a. 250; 2023 a. 5.

281.68 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. NR 193, Wis. adm. code.

281.69 281.69 Lake management and classification grants and contracts.

281.69(1b) (1b) Definitions. In this section:

281.69(1b)(ae) (ae) “Floating treatment wetland” means an artificial, buoyant platform for keeping plants afloat that mimics the function of natural wetlands and allows plants to grow in water that is typically too deep for them and that is placed below the ordinary high-water mark in a navigable water.

281.69(1b)(ag) (ag) “Lake” includes a flowage.

281.69(1b)(bn) (bn) “Nonprofit conservation organization” has the meaning given in s. 23.0955 (1).

281.69(1b)(br) (br) “Producer-led group” means any group that meets the criteria under s. 93.59 (2).

281.69(1b)(c) (c) “Qualified lake association” is an association that meets the qualifications under s. 281.68 (3m) (a).

281.69(1b)(d) (d) “Wetland” has the meaning given in s. 23.32 (1).

281.69(1m) (1m) Types of projects. The department shall develop and administer a financial assistance program to provide grants for the following 2 types of projects:

281.69(1m)(a) (a) Lake management projects that will improve or protect the quality of water in lakes or the quality of natural lake ecosystems.

281.69(1m)(b) (b) Lake classification projects that will classify lakes by use and implement protection activities for the lakes based on their classification.

281.69(1r) (1r) Contracts. The department may award contracts for lake classification technical assistance projects to be conducted by nonprofit corporations that will provide educational and technical assistance.

281.69(2) (2) Amounts of grants and contracts.

281.69(2)(a) (a) A grant for a lake management project may be made for up to 75 percent of the cost of the project but may not provide more than $200,000 per grant.

281.69(2)(b) (b) A grant for a lake classification project may be made for up to 75 percent of the cost of the project but may not exceed $50,000 per grant.

281.69(2)(c) (c) A contract for a lake classification technical assistance project may not exceed $200,000.

281.69(3) (3) Rules for lake management project grants. The department shall promulgate rules to administer and to determine eligibility for grants for lake management projects. The rules shall include all of the following:

281.69(3)(a) (a) A designation of eligible recipients, which shall include nonprofit conservation organizations, producer-led groups conducting producer-led group projects, counties, cities, towns, villages, qualified lake associations, town sanitary districts, public inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts, and other local governmental units, as defined in s. 66.0131 (1) (a), that are established for the purpose of lake management. If a producer-led group is not a legal entity, the eligible recipient shall be a legal entity on behalf of the producer-led group.

281.69(3)(b) (b) A designation of eligible activities, which shall include all of the following:

281.69(3)(b)1. 1. The purchase of land or of a conservation easement, as defined in s. 700.40 (1) (a), if the eligible recipient enters into a contract under s. 281.71 and if the purchase will substantially contribute to the protection or improvement of a lake’s water quality or its natural ecosystem.

281.69(3)(b)2. 2. The restoration of a wetland if the restoration will protect or improve a lake’s water quality or its natural ecosystem.

281.69(3)(b)2m. 2m. The restoration of habitat in a littoral area of a lake or along its shoreline if the restoration will protect or improve the lake’s water quality or its natural ecosystem.