30.20(1g)(a)1.1. A removal of material from the bed of a farm drainage ditch which was not a navigable stream before ditching is exempt from the individual and general permit requirements under this section unless the department finds that the proposed removal may have a long-term adverse effect on cold-water fishery resources or may destroy fish spawning beds or nursery areas. 30.20(1g)(a)2.2. A person who proposes a removal under subd. 1. which may have an effect on cold-water fishery resources or may affect fish spawning beds or nursery areas shall notify the department at least 10 days prior to the removal. 30.20(1g)(b)(b) A removal of material is exempt from the permit and contract requirements under this section if the material does not contain hazardous substances, the material is not being removed from an area of special natural resource interest, and if any of the following applies: 30.20(1g)(b)1.1. The removal is the amount necessary to place or maintain a structure that is exempt from any permitting requirements in this chapter. 30.20(1g)(b)2.2. The removal is by hand or by hand-held devices without the use or aid of external or auxiliary power. 30.20(1g)(c)(c) A removal of material by the drainage board for the Duck Creek Drainage District from a drain that the board operates in the Duck Creek Drainage District is exempt from the individual and general permit requirements under this section if the removal is required, under rules promulgated by the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection, in order to conform the drain to specifications imposed by the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection after consulting with the department of natural resources. 30.20(1g)(d)(d) The removal of material by a drainage district from the bed of a ditch operated by the drainage district is exempt from the individual and general permit requirements under this section if all of the following apply: 30.20(1g)(d)1.1. The material is removed for the purpose of maintaining the ditch. 30.20(1g)(d)2.2. The material is not removed from an area that is listed in a database maintained by the department identifying contaminated properties and other activities related to the investigation and cleanup of contaminated soil or groundwater in this state. 30.20(1g)(d)3.3. If the removed material is spread on land, all of the following apply: 30.20(1g)(d)3.a.a. The material is graded and smoothed to blend into cultivated lands. 30.20(1g)(d)3.b.b. The surface slope of the material does not exceed a slope of 8 to 1. 30.20(1g)(d)3.c.c. The material is not more than 2 feet deep at the top of the bank of the ditch. 30.20(1g)(d)4.4. If the removed material is placed in a district corridor established under s. 88.74, no portion of a pile of the removed material is closer than 12 feet from the top of the bank of the ditch, is piled at any angle other than a stable angle of repose for that material, nor has a slope exceeding a slope of 2 to 1. 30.20(1g)(d)5.5. The drainage district, in maintaining the drainage ditch, does all of the following in order to prevent the spread of invasive species or the spread of viruses from one navigable water to another: 30.20(1g)(d)5.a.a. Removes plants, animals, and mud and other debris from all equipment it uses to maintain the drainage ditch before the equipment is placed in any other navigable water. 30.20(1g)(d)5.b.b. Washes all equipment that it uses to maintain the drainage ditch with high pressure water of not less than 2,000 pounds per square inch before it is placed in any other navigable water or allows the equipment to dry for not less than 5 days before it is placed in any other navigable water. 30.20(1g)(d)7.7. Except as provided in this subdivision, the removal activity does not occur between March 15 and the immediately following June 1. A department fish biologist assigned to the area in which the removal activity is located may waive the requirement that the limitation in this subdivision apply to an exemption under this paragraph. 30.20(1g)(d)8.8. If the drainage ditch is classified by the department as a trout stream or tributary of a trout stream, the drainage district coordinates the time of its removal activities with department fisheries staff. 30.20(1k)(a)(a) The department may promulgate rules concerning the exempt activities under sub. (1g) that only do any of the following: 30.20(1k)(a)1.1. Establish reasonable procedures for undertaking the removal of material to minimize environmental impacts. 30.20(1k)(a)2.2. Establish reasonable limitations on the location of the removal of material at the site affected by the activity. 30.20(1k)(b)(b) Notwithstanding par. (a), the rules under par. (a) 1. may not establish procedures that prohibit undertaking the removal of material or that render the undertaking of the removal of material economically cost-prohibitive. 30.20(1m)(1m) Permits or contracts in lieu of exemptions. The department may decide to require that a person engaged in an activity that is exempt under sub. (1g) apply for an individual permit or contract, or seek authorization under a general permit if the department has conducted an investigation and visited the site of the activity and has determined that conditions specific to the site require restrictions on the activity in order to prevent any of the following: