Chapter NR 102

NR 102.11(1)(b)21. 21. Unnamed creek 8-14 originating in section 1, township 20 north, range 8 west in Trempealeau county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)22. 22. Unnamed creek 9-13 originating in section 4, township 20 north, range 6 west in Jackson county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)23. 23. Unnamed creek 10-8 originating in section 3, township 11 north, range 1 west in Richland county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)24. 24. Unnamed creek 10-10 originating in section 14, township 20 north, range 6 west in Jackson county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)25. 25. Unnamed creek 11-4 originating in section 1, township 20 north, range 7 west in Trempealeau county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)26. 26. Unnamed creek 11-7 originating in section 2, township 20 north, range 7 west in Trempealeau county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)27. 27. Unnamed creek 13-3a originating in section 19, township 20 north, range 6 west in Jackson county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)28. 28. Unnamed creek 13-3b originating in section 6, township 20 north, range 6 west in Trempealeau county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)29. 29. Unnamed creek 15-13 originating in section 1, township 20 north, range 8 west in Trempealeau county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)30. 30. Unnamed creek 15-4 originating in section 3, township 20 north, range 6 west in Trempealeau county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)31. 31. Unnamed creek 16-2 originating in section 22, township 20 north, range 6 west in Jackson county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)32. 32. Unnamed creek 17-5 originating in SE 1/4, section 5, township 20 north, range 6 west in Jackson county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)33. 33. Unnamed creek 24-3a originating in section 18, township 11 north, range 1 west in Richland county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)34. 34. Unnamed creek 26-7 originating in section 2, township 21 north, range 5 west in Jackson county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)35. 35. Unnamed creek 34-2 originating in section 17, township 20 north, range 8 west in Trempealeau county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)36. 36. Unnamed creek 34-15 originating in section 27, township 20 north, range 7 west in Trempealeau county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)37. 37. Unnamed stream originating in section 33, township 10 north, range 3 east in Sauk county.

NR 102.11(1)(b)38. 38. Washington Coulee creek originating in section 29, township 20 north, range 6 west in Jackson county.

NR 102.11(1)(c) (c) The following Class II trout waters:

NR 102.11(1)(c)1. 1. Ashland county — White river above the Bad River Indian reservation

NR 102.11(1)(c)2. 2. Bayfield county — White river

NR 102.11(1)(c)3. 3. Dane county — Mt. Vernon creek

NR 102.11(1)(c)4. 4. Forest county — North Branch Oconto river

NR 102.11(1)(c)5. 5. Grant county — Blue river

NR 102.11(1)(c)6. 6. Iowa county — Blue river

NR 102.11(1)(c)7. 7. Langlade county — Prairie river, South Branch Oconto river

NR 102.11(1)(c)8. 8. Lincoln county — Prairie river

NR 102.11(1)(c)9. 9. Marquette county — Mecan river

NR 102.11(1)(c)10. 10. Oconto county — North Branch Oconto river, South Branch Oconto river

NR 102.11(1)(c)11. 11. Pierce county — Rush river

NR 102.11(1)(c)12. 12. Portage county — Tomorrow river

NR 102.11(1)(c)13. 13. Richland county — Willow creek

NR 102.11(1)(c)14. 14. St. Croix county — Willow river, Race Branch

NR 102.11(1)(c)15. 15. Waushara county — Mecan river

NR 102.11(1)(d) (d) The following cold or warm water streams and rivers or portions thereof:

NR 102.11(2) (2) The waters identified in sub. (1) may not be lowered in quality except as provided in ch. NR 207.

NR 102.11(3) (3) Surface waters, or portions thereof, may be added to, or deleted from, the exceptional resource waters designation through the rule making process under the provisions of ch. 227, Stats., and s. NR 2.03.

NR 102.11 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1989, No. 398, eff. 3-1-89; cr. (1) (c), Register, July, 1989, No. 403, eff. 8-1-89; cr. (1) (d), Register, May, 1993, No. 449, eff. 6-1-93; CR 05-105: renum. (1) (d) 1. to be 1t., cr. 1g., 1r., 15m., 25m., 26c., 26n., 26r., 26w., 31m., 35m., and 38m., am. 29., Register November 2006 No. 611, eff. 12-1-06; CR 09-123: am. (1) (b) 1., 5., 12., 15., 16., 23., 27., 33., 34., 37., (d) 5., 8., 15., 17., 28., 34., 39. and 42., cr. (1) (d) 26b. Register July 2010 No. 655, eff. 8-1-10.

NR 102.12 NR 102.12 Great Lakes system.

NR 102.12(1) (1) The Great Lakes system includes all the surface waters within the drainage basin of the Great Lakes.

NR 102.12(2) (2) For the purpose of administering ch. NR 207 and consistent with chs. NR 105 and 106, the waters identified in sub. (1) are to be protected from the impacts of persistent, bioaccumulating toxic substances by avoiding or limiting to the maximum extent practicable increases in these substances.

NR 102.12(3) (3) The waters of the Lake Superior basin shall be managed to prevent any new or increased discharges of the following pollutants: DDT, DDE and metabolites, chlordane, toxaphene, hexachlorobenzene, 2,3,7,8 TCDD, octachlorostyrene, mercury and PCB’s. For purposes of administering ch. NR 207, new or increased discharges of these pollutants shall be prohibited unless the applicant certifies at time of application, that the new or increased discharge is necessary after utilization of best technology in process or control using waste minimization, pollution prevention, municipal pretreatment programs, material substitution or other means of commercially available technologies which have demonstrated capability for similar applications.

NR 102.12 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1989, No. 398, eff. 3-1-89; r. and recr. (1), am. (2), Register, August, 1997, No. 500, eff. 9-1-97; CR 05-089: cr. (3) Register July 2006 No. 607, eff. 8-1-06.

NR 102.13 NR 102.13 Fish and aquatic life waters. All surface waters not included in s. NR 102.05 (1) (b) 1., 2., 3. or 5. are fish and aquatic life waters.

NR 102.13 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1989, No. 398, eff. 3-1-89.

NR 102.14 NR 102.14 Taste and odor criteria.

NR 102.14(1) (1) At certain concentrations, substances may not be toxic to humans, but may impart undesirable taste or odor to water or aquatic organisms ingested by humans. The taste and odor criterion is derived to prevent substances from concentrating in surface waters or accumulating in aquatic organisms to a level which results in undesirable tastes or odors to human consumers.

NR 102.14(2) (2) The taste and odor criterion is derived as follows:

NR 102.14(2)(a) (a) For substances which impart tastes and odors to waters, the taste and odor criterion shall equal that threshold concentration (TCw) below which objectionable tastes or odors to human consumers do not occur. Threshold concentrations for substances imparting tastes and odors to water are listed in Table 1.

NR 102.14(2)(b) (b) For substances which impart tastes or odors to aquatic organisms, the taste and odor criterion shall be calculated as follows:

TOC = TC1
BAF

NR 102.14(2)(c) (c) The lower of the taste and odor criteria derived as specified in pars. (a) and (b) is applicable to surface waters classified as public water supplies. The taste and odor criteria derived as specified in par. (b) are applicable to cold water and warm water sport fish communities.

NR 102.14(2)(d) (d) Threshold concentrations for substances imparting tastes or odors to water (TCw) other than those listed in Table 1 and threshold concentrations for substances imparting tastes or odors to aquatic organisms (TCf) shall be selected by the department using its best professional judgment.

NR 102.14 History History: Cr. Register, February, 1989, No. 398, eff. 3-1-89; am. (2) (b) and (c), Register, August, 1997, No. 500, eff. 9-1-97.

subch. II of ch. NR 102 Subchapter II — Water Quality Standards for Temperature

NR 102.20 NR 102.20 Purpose. The purpose of this subchapter is to establish water quality standards for temperature pursuant to s. 281.15 (1), Stats. Water quality standards for temperature shall protect fish and other aquatic life from mortality, immobilization, loss of equilibrium, impaired growth, adverse reproductive effects, and other sub-lethal effects.

NR 102.20 History History: CR 07-111: cr. Register September 2010 No. 657, eff. 10-1-10.

NR 102.22 NR 102.22 Definitions. In this subchapter, the following definitions are applicable to terms used:

NR 102.22(1) (1) “Acute effects” means any effect resulting in death or immobilization. For temperature, the acute criteria of this subchapter are based on Upper Incipient Lethal Temperature (UILT) values that are not representative of immediate lethality.

NR 102.22(2) (2) “cfs” means cubic feet per second, usually pertaining to stream or effluent flow.

NR 102.22(3) (3) “Cold shock” means exposure of aquatic organisms to a rapid decrease in temperature and a sustained exposure to low temperature that induces abnormal behavioral or physiological performance and may lead to death.

NR 102.22(4) (4) “Daily maximum temperature” means the highest allowed water temperature for a calendar day, outside a mixing zone allowed in this subchapter.

NR 102.22(5) (5) “Great Lakes” means the open Wisconsin waters of Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Green Bay and Chequamegon Bay, as well as adjoining open waters that exhibit characteristics of Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Green Bay or Chequamegon Bay, or in other ways are determined by the department to be equivalent to these waters.

NR 102.22(6) (6) “Maximum weekly average temperature” means the highest allowed arithmetic mean of all daily maximum temperatures during a calendar week, outside mixing zone allowed in this subchapter.

NR 102.22(7) (7) “mgd” means million gallons per day.

NR 102.22(8) (8) “Sub-lethal effects” means effects resulting in inadequate gonad development, gamete production and viability, spawning or growth.

NR 102.22 History History: CR 07-111: cr. Register September 2010 No. 657, eff. 10-1-10.

NR 102.23 NR 102.23 Categories of standards applicable to temperature. The department shall establish water quality standards for temperature to protect the following:

NR 102.23(1) (1) Public health and welfare uses, as established in s. NR 102.04 (7) and (8).

NR 102.23(2) (2) Fish and other aquatic life uses as established in s. NR 102.04 (3). For exclusive purpose of the application of water quality standards for temperature, the warm water sport fish and warm water forage fish communities, as defined in s. NR 102.04 (3) (b) and (c), are treated together as warm water communities.

NR 102.23(3) (3) Great Lakes communities as defined in s. NR 102.22 (6). This use exists only for the regulation of discharges of heat.

NR 102.23 History History: CR 07-111: cr. Register September 2010 No. 657, eff. 10-1-10.

NR 102.24 NR 102.24 General water quality criteria for temperature.

NR 102.24(1) (1) There may be no temperature changes that may adversely affect aquatic life.

NR 102.24(2) (2) Natural daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations shall be maintained.

NR 102.24 History History: CR 07-111: cr. Register September 2010 No. 657, eff. 10-1-10.

NR 102.245 NR 102.245 Temperature criteria for limited aquatic life communities.

NR 102.245(1) (1) For the purposes of temperature criteria, all surface waters classified as diffused surface waters, wetlands and wastewater effluent channels, as defined in s. NR 104.02 (1), shall be characterized as limited aquatic life communities.

NR 102.245(2) (2) The department may, as appropriate, characterize other surface waters not identified in sub. (1) as limited aquatic life communities.

NR 102.245(3) (3) The temperature in waters classified as limited aquatic life shall be restricted as follows:

NR 102.245(3)(a) (a) Temperatures at any point in waters classified as wastewater effluent channels may not exceed 120°F.

NR 102.245(3)(b) (b) Temperatures at any point in waters classified as wetlands shall not exceed the standards in ch. NR 103.

NR 102.245(3)(c) (c) Temperatures at any point in waters not identified in par. (a) or (b) may not exceed 86°F. Additionally, all conditions of ch. NR 103 shall be met.

NR 102.245 Note Note: The department recognizes there are legitimate concerns that not all wetlands and ephemeral streams are the biological equivalents of other limited aquatic life waters, and is in the process of re-evaluating the wetland and ephemeral stream classifications to determine if and when full fish and aquatic life conditions should be applied.

NR 102.245 History History: CR 07-111: cr. Register September 2010 No. 657, eff. 10-1-10.

NR 102.25 NR 102.25 Ambient temperatures and water quality criteria for the protection of fish and other aquatic life.

NR 102.25(1) (1) General. In the absence of site-specific ambient temperature data or water quality criteria as determine in s. NR 102.26 or 102.27, respectively, the applicable ambient temperatures, sub-lethal water quality criteria, and acute water quality criteria shall be as specified in subs. (2) to (5). For determinations made in subs. (2) to (5), all of the following conditions shall apply:

NR 102.25(1)(a) (a) The ambient temperature, sub-lethal water quality criterion, and acute water quality criterion specified for any calendar month shall be applied simultaneously to establish the protection needed for each identified fish and other aquatic life use.

NR 102.25(1)(b) (b) Sub-lethal water quality criteria are to be applied as maximum weekly average temperatures.