County Highway D Reconstruction Evans Lane to Elm Road
On September 11, 2014, Ayres Associates performed a wetland determination and delineation at the site of the proposed reconstruction of County Highway D on behalf of the Douglas County Highway Department. The site is located in Sections 1, 12, and 13 of Township 47 North, Range 22 West, and Sections 6, 7, and 18 of Township 47 North, Range 11 West in the Village of Poplar and Town of Amnicon, Douglas County, Wisconsin (Figure 1). The project is located at and adjacent to County Highway D, from Evans Lane at the south end to Elm Road at the north end.
The objective of the wetland description was to identify the size and location of wetlands adjacent to the proposed area of reconstruction. This was performed by Jen Jacobson, an Environmental Scientist with Ayres Associates, during which twelve wetlands were identified. Ms. Jacobson has a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Environmental Biology from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, and has six years of wetland and natural resource experience on projects throughout Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois.
Beginning of Project Looking North
The Douglas County Highway Department has applied to the Department of Natural Resources for a permit to discharge dredged or fill material into wetlands along County Road D from Evans Lane to Elm Road. The project is located Section 6, Township 47 North, Range 11 West, Town of Amnicon, Douglas County.
The Department will review the proposal provided by the applicant and any information from public comments and a public informational hearing, if requested. The Department will determine whether the proposal complies with ss. 1.11 and 281.36, 401 CWA, Stats., and ch. NR 150, Wis. Adm. Code, and ensure that the required mitigation meets the standards in s. 281.36(3r), Stats. if the project impacts wetlands.
The Department has made a tentative determination that it will issue the permit for the proposed activity. To learn more about this project or would like to see the application and plans, please visit the Department’s permit tracking website by clicking HERE.
End of Project Looking North
Most wetlands are considered waters of the U.S. and are therefore subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act (CWA). Specifically, non-isolated wetlands are regulated under Section 404 of the CWA and the jurisdictional regulatory authority lies with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Additionally, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) has regulatory authority over wetlands, navigable waters, and adjacent lands under Chapter 30 Wisconsin State Statutes, Act 6, and NR 103 Wisconsin Administrative Code. Ayres Associates recommends this report be submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for final jurisdictional review and concurrence.
Any person may submit comments and/or request a public informational hearing by emailing HERE or writing to Amy Cronk, Environmental Analysis & Review Specialist with the WDNR, 810 W Maple Street, Spooner, WI 54801. General comments on the proposal must be emailed or postmarked within 30 days after the date this notice was published on the Department’s website; the deadline then is January 21, 2015.
If requesting a public informational hearing, the request must be emailed or postmarked within 20 days after the date this notice is published on the Department’s website (By ES calculations, that deadline would be 1/11/2015, or this coming Sunday.) A request for hearing must include the docket number or applicant name and specify the issues that the party desires to be addressed at the informational hearing.
If no hearing is requested, the Department may issue its decision without a hearing. If a public informational hearing is held, comments must be postmarked no later than 10 days following the date on which the hearing is completed.
The final decision may be appealed as indicated in the decision document. Docket Number IP-N0-2014-16-T04312
