281.36(3q)(d)1.1. The discharge shall be stayed pending an administrative hearing under this subsection if the petition contains a request for the stay showing that a stay is necessary to prevent significant adverse impacts or irreversible harm to the environment.
281.36(3q)(d)2.
2. If a stay is requested under subd.
1., the stay shall be in effect until either the department denies the request for an administrative hearing or the hearing examiner determines that the stay is not necessary.
281.36(3q)(e)
(e)
Filings. The petitioner shall file a copy of the petition with the department. If the petitioner is not the applicant, the petitioner shall simultaneously provide a copy of the petition to the applicant. The applicant may file a response to the petition with the department. If the applicant files a response under this paragraph, it shall be filed within 15 days after the petition is filed.
281.36(3q)(f)1m.1m. The department shall grant or deny the petition within 30 days after the petition is filed. The failure of the department to dispose of the petition within this 30-day period is a denial. The department shall deny the petition if any of the following applies:
281.36(3q)(f)1m.a.
a. The petitioner is not the applicant, and the petition does not comply with the requirements of par.
(c).
281.36(3q)(f)1m.b.
b. The objection contained in the petition is not substantive. The department shall determine that an objection is substantive if the supporting facts contained in the objection appear to be substantially true and raise reasonable grounds to believe that the provisions of this section may be violated if the activity or project is undertaken.
281.36(3q)(f)3.
3. If the department denies the petition, the department shall send the petitioner the denial in writing, stating the reasons for the denial.
281.36(3q)(f)4.
4. If the department grants a petition under this subsection, the department shall refer the matter to the division of hearings and appeals in the department of administration within 15 days after granting the petition unless the petitioner and the applicant agree to an extension.
281.36(3q)(g)1.1. An administrative hearing under this subsection shall be treated as a contested case under ch.
227.
281.36(3q)(g)2.
2. If a stay under par.
(d) 1. is in effect, the hearing examiner shall, within 30 days after receipt of the referral under par.
(f) 4., determine whether continuation of the stay is necessary to prevent significant adverse impacts or irreversible harm to the environment pending completion of the administrative hearing. The hearing examiner shall make the determination based on the request under par.
(d) 1., any response from the applicant under par.
(e), and any testimony at a public hearing or any public comments. The determination shall be made without a hearing.
281.36(3q)(g)3.
3. An administrative hearing under this subsection shall be completed within 90 days after receipt of the referral of the petition under par.
(f) 4., unless all parties agree to an extension of that period. In addition, a hearing examiner may grant a one-time extension for the completion of the hearing of up to 60 days on the motion of any party and a showing of good cause demonstrating extraordinary circumstances justifying an extension.
281.36(3q)(g)4.
4. Notwithstanding s.
227.44 (1), the department shall provide a notice of the administrative hearing at least 30 days before the date of the hearing to all of the following:
281.36(3q)(g)5.
5. In an administrative hearing under this subsection, the petitioner shall proceed first with the presentation of evidence and shall have the burden of proof.
281.36(3q)(h)1.1. Any person whose substantial interest is affected by a decision of the department under par.
(b) 1. or
2. may commence an action in circuit court to review that decision.
281.36(3q)(h)2.
2. Any party aggrieved by a decision of the hearing examiner under par.
(g) may commence an action in circuit court to review that decision.
281.36(3r)
(3r)
Mitigation; in lieu fee subprogram. 281.36(3r)(a)
(a) The department shall establish a mitigation program that applies only to the issuance of wetland individual permits and, with respect to a discharge that is exempt from permitting requirements under sub.
(4n) (b) that affects more than 10,000 square feet of wetland or under sub.
(4n) (c) that affects more than 1.5 acres of wetland, the portion of the affected wetland that exceeds 10,000 square feet or 1.5 acres, respectively. Under the mitigation program, subject to par.
(am), the department shall allow mitigation to be accomplished by any of the following methods:
281.36(3r)(a)1.
1. Purchasing credits from a mitigation bank located in this state.
281.36(3r)(a)2.
2. Participating in the in lieu fee subprogram, if such a subprogram is established under par.
(e).
281.36(3r)(a)3.
3. Completing mitigation within the same watershed or within one-half mile of the site of the discharge.
281.36(3r)(am)
(am) For a discharge that is exempt from permitting requirements under sub.
(4n) (b) or
(c), any off-site mitigation, including any mitigation conducted by a mitigation bank or under the in lieu fee subprogram, shall be completed within the same compensation search area, as defined by the department by rule, as the discharge.
281.36(3r)(b)
(b) Under the mitigation program, mitigation as specified in par.
(a) 1. and participation in the in lieu fee subprogram, if established under par.
(a) 2. shall be the preferred types of mitigation.
281.36(3r)(c)
(c) The department shall establish a system of service areas for the mitigation banks under the mitigation program that is geographically based on the locations of the major watersheds in the state. The system shall be consistent with federal regulations.
281.36(3r)(cm)
(cm) Before entering into an agreement with a sponsor of a mitigation bank to establish such a bank or before otherwise approving a mitigation bank, the department shall provide written notice that a mitigation bank may be established. The notice shall be given to each city, village, town, and county in which each proposed mitigation bank site will be located. Each city, village, town, and county receiving the notice shall be given an opportunity to submit comments regarding the establishment of the mitigation bank. The notice shall contain all of the following information:
281.36(3r)(cm)2.
2. A brief description of the mitigation bank and all of its bank sites.
281.36(3r)(cm)3.
3. A date after which the department will not accept comments from the affected cities, villages, towns, or counties.
281.36(3r)(d)1.1. The department shall establish under the mitigation program mitigation ratios that are consistent, to the greatest extent possible, with the federal regulations that apply to mitigation and mitigation banks but, unless subd.
2. applies, the minimum ratio shall be at least 1.2 acres for each acre affected by the discharge.
281.36(3r)(d)2.
2. For mitigation that occurs within the same watershed in which the discharge is located or within one-half mile of the site of the discharge, the ratio established by the department shall equal 90 percent of the ratio that would apply if the mitigation were to occur outside the watershed or were to occur one-half mile or more from the site of the discharge, but the ratio established under this subdivision may be no less than 1.2 acres for each acre affected by the discharge.
281.36(3r)(e)
(e) As part of the mitigation program established under par.
(a), the department may establish an in lieu fee subprogram, under which payments are made to the department or another entity for the purposes of restoring, enhancing, creating, or preserving wetlands or other water resource features. The subprogram must be approved by the U.S. army corps of engineers. The department shall establish requirements for calculating the in lieu fee payments. Under the in lieu fee subprogram, the wetlands that benefit from the subprogram shall be open to the public for hunting, fishing, trapping, cross-country skiing, or hiking or any combination thereof, but the department may establish reasonable restrictions on the use of the land by the public in order to protect public safety or to protect a unique plant or animal community. The subprogram shall be consistent with federal regulations.
281.36(3t)
(3t)
Rules for mitigation. The department shall promulgate rules to establish a process for the mitigation program under sub.
(3r). The rules shall address all of the following:
281.36(3t)(a)
(a) Requirements for the analysis of practicable alternatives that is included in an application for a wetland individual permit under sub.
(3m) (b).
281.36(3t)(b)
(b) The conditions under which credits may be purchased from a mitigation bank to comply with the mitigation program under sub.
(3r).
281.36(3t)(c)
(c) Enforcement of requirements under the mitigation program under sub.
(3r) that apply to mitigation projects and mitigation banks.
281.36(3t)(d)
(d) Baseline studies of wetlands that will be affected by the discharges and of sites for mitigation projects.
281.36(3t)(e)
(e) Plan and design requirements for mitigation projects and mitigation bank sites, which shall include requirements for relating the design of a mitigation project or a mitigation bank site to the hydrology of the watershed in which a mitigation project or mitigation bank site is located.
281.36(3t)(f)
(f) Standards for comparing wetlands that will be restored, enhanced, created, or preserved as a mitigation project or at a mitigation bank site to the wetlands that will be adversely affected by discharges, including all of the following:
281.36(3t)(f)1.
1. Consideration of the size, location, type and quality of the
wetlands.
281.36(3t)(f)2.
2. Consideration of the functional values performed by the
wetlands.
281.36(3t)(h)
(h) Standards for measuring the short-term and long-term success of mitigation projects and mitigation bank sites and requirements for the short-term and long-term monitoring of mitigation projects and mitigation bank sites.
281.36(3t)(i)
(i) Remedial actions to be taken by holders of wetland individual permits for mitigation projects that are not successful and actions to be taken by mitigation banks for mitigation projects performed by the mitigation banks that are not successful.
281.36(4)
(4)
Exemptions; certain activities. Except as provided in sub.
(5), the permitting requirement under sub.
(3b) does not apply to any discharge that is the result of any of the following activities:
281.36(4)(a)
(a) Normal farming, silviculture, or ranching activities.
281.36(4)(am)
(am) Normal aquaculture activities, if the discharge is to a wetland created for aquacultural purposes in an area without any prior wetland history. In this paragraph, “normal aquaculture activities” includes all of the following:
281.36(4)(am)1.
1. Construction, maintenance, or repair of ponds, raceways, or other similar retention structures used in fish farms.
281.36(4)(am)2.
2. The filling in or drawing down of ponds, raceways, or other similar retention structures used in fish farms.
281.36(4)(am)3.
3. Maintenance or improvement of swales or other drainage areas into or out of ponds used in fish farms.
281.36(4)(am)4.
4. Maintenance, repair, or replacement of drains, pipes, or other flowage controls used in fish farms.
281.36(4)(b)
(b) Maintenance, emergency repair, or reconstruction of damaged parts of structures that are in use in a wetland.
281.36(4)(c)
(c) Construction or maintenance of farm ponds, stock ponds, or irrigation ditches.
281.36(4)(e)
(e) Construction or maintenance of farm roads, roads used in fish farms, forest roads, or temporary mining roads that is performed in accordance with best management practices, as determined by the department, to ensure all of the following:
281.36(4)(e)1.
1. That the flow and circulation patterns and chemical and biological characteristics of the affected wetland are not impaired.
281.36(4)(e)2.
2. That the reach of the affected wetland is not reduced.
281.36(4)(e)3.
3. That any adverse effect on the aquatic environment of the affected wetland is minimized to the degree required by the department.
281.36(4)(f)
(f) Maintenance, operation, or abandonment of a sedimentation or stormwater detention basin and associated conveyance features that were not originally constructed in a wetland.
281.36(4m)
(4m)
Exemption and waiver; electronics and information technology manufacturing zone. 281.36(4m)(a)
(a) The permitting requirement under sub.
(3b) does not apply to any discharge into a wetland located in an electronics and information technology manufacturing zone designated under s.
238.396 (1m) if the discharge is related to the construction, access, or operation of a new manufacturing facility in the zone and all adverse impacts to functional values of wetlands are compensated at a ratio of 2 acres per each acre impacted through any of the following methods, consistent with the rules promulgated under this section:
281.36(4m)(a)1.
1. Purchasing credits from a mitigation bank located in this state.
281.36(4m)(a)2.
2. Participating in the in lieu fee subprogram under sub.
(3r), under which the department shall identify and consider mitigation that could be conducted within the same watershed and may locate mitigation outside the watershed only upon agreement of the department and the person exempt from permitting under this subsection.
281.36(4n)
(4n)
Exemptions; certain nonfederal wetlands and artificial wetlands. 281.36(4n)(a)1.
1. “Artificial wetland" means a landscape feature where hydrophitic vegetation may be present as a result of human modification to the landscape or hydrology and for which the department has no definitive evidence showing a prior wetland or stream history that existed before August 1, 1991, but does not include any of the following:
281.36(4n)(a)1.a.
a. A wetland that serves as a fish spawning area or a passage to a fish spawning area.
281.36(4n)(a)2.
2. “Definitive evidence” means documentary evidence such as any of the following:
281.36(4n)(a)3.
3. “Rare and high quality wetland” means a wetland that is directly adjacent or contiguous to a class I or class II trout stream or that consists of 75 percent or more of any of the following wetland types:
