Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wetlands Regulation And Mitigation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DNR presents wetland definitions, services, permitting and mitigation options to board
Summary
DNR waterways staff summarized wetland science, state and federal regulatory roles, identification and delineation services, and compensatory mitigation options including private mitigation banks and in‑lieu fee projects.
DNR waterways staff told the Natural Resources Board on May 28 that Wisconsin’s wetland protections rest on a statutory, science‑based definition and a suite of identification, permitting and mitigation tools used to evaluate proposed impacts.
Ben Callan, Waterways program director, told the board wetlands are identified where water is at or near the surface long enough to support hydrophilic vegetation and hydric soils. He reviewed common wetland types (aquatic bed, marsh, sedge meadow, scrub‑shrub, and forested wetlands) and described functional values such as habitat, floodwater attenuation and water‑quality improvement.
Callan outlined DNR services to landowners and project proponents: a public mapping and identification tool, field presence/absence visits, formal delineations, and an assured delineator program for private consultants whose work the department accepts after audit. He said the department completes roughly 100 identification or delineation services annually and reviews private delineations as submitted.
Callan explained state exemptions for certain activities (agriculture, some manufacturing sites and specific artificial wetland or nonfederal wetland categories) and described general permits (about 25, eight focused on wetlands) and individual permits (with public notice and a longer review timeline). He said the waterways program processes roughly 300 general‑permit applications and about 50 individual wetland permits per year.
On mitigation, Callan described private compensatory mitigation banks (37 banks restoring about 1,600 acres over the last decade), the Wisconsin Wetland Conservation Trust in‑lieu fee program (15 projects restoring over 400 acres), and a new agricultural mitigation banking track in coordination with the NRCS that will begin issuing credits in 2025.
Callan said federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers remains a moving target after recent Supreme Court decisions, but that Wisconsin law and the state permitting framework remain in force. The board asked questions about permitting timelines, mitigation effectiveness and tribal coordination; Callan said the department will provide additional materials, confirmed coordination with tribes and offered to supply audit and mitigation performance data for board review.
Communications director Andy Sedlacek described outreach: DNR magazine features, social posts and an annual “Marsh Madness” Instagram campaign aimed at public education and visitation.
