Background

Rusk County has over 200 named and unnamed lakes and flowages. They range from large flowages to lakes less than one acre in size, from highly developed lakes to undeveloped "wilderness" lakes. The County also has 16 muskie lakes, over 20 fishing streams, and over 120 miles of trout streams, each of them unique. Many people value lakes and streams in Rusk County.

The lakes and streams in Rusk County offer exceptional benefits to the people who choose to live in or visit our county. We believe that it is in the best interest of all stakeholders, and the community at large, to draft and implement a Lakes and Streams Management Plan.

Shoreland development is happening in Rusk County, over the last five years, 62% of all permits issued by the Zoning Office are for properties within shoreland zoning. We believe that it is in the best interest of the community to be proactive rather than reactive on this matter. Developing a lakes and streams classification system is a tool we can utilize from which to make future decisions.

Lakes and streams in northern Wisconsin are changing with the addition of new homes, the conversion of small cottages to large homes and other development activities. Some of these changes adversely affect water quality, habitat and natural scenic beauty - the very reasons many - of us enjoy water front living and recreation. These features are also the basis for our state's important tourism industry.

A lake and river classification approach to shoreland management allows Wisconsin communities to tailor management tools such as land use regulations and technical or financial assistance to the ability of waters to sustain certain types and levels of development. This classification project will be supported by state investment, university extension resources, land conservation, zoning and private organizations. A strong educational component andwide public participation in this process will characterize a successful project.

Rusk County is looking into an ad hoc advisory group to address the local lakes and streams. The advisory group will include members representing various interest groups. Rusk County Board of Supervisors develops public policies to guide the use, development, conservation, and management of land and water resources in Rusk County. The County Board values public input in these decisions and therefore will be forming the Lakes and Streams Advisory Group. It is the hope of the County Board that input from this group will provide perspectives representative of Rusk County residents and business people.

Project Description

Rusk County continues to receive pressure to alter the various ordinances. Over the last two years section 9.0 of the shoreland ordinance has been sent to County Board for approval, but each time it has been sent back to the Zoning Committee to come up with a better solution. It is in the best interest of Rusk County, the residents and our guests to develop a lakes and streams classification system from which to base future decisions.

Rusk County’s grant application involves the following elements and deliverables:

1.                  Development of a lakes and streams classification system. (System Model at end of document)

2.                  Development of a lakes and streams classification database and related GIS mapping products to assist in tracking, implementing and streamlining administration of activities associated with the lakes and streams classification program.

3.                  Development of an information and education program focusing on lakes and streams classification. (Management Plan)

4.                  Assess existing subdivision, comprehensive and shoreland ordinances.

1.         The Advisory Group will utilize the information gathered during the 1998 shoreland ordinance review and update project. This information includes data regarding all ofthe lakes in Rusk County. Modifications to the data will be needed, but the Advisory Group will not have to reinvent the wheel. The Advisory Group will determine classification through a point system that is based on several factors. Those factors include lake surface area, maximum depth, lake type, stream type, watershed size, shoreline development factor, and development density. The Advisory Group will have to define factors and scores for the streams in the county, or include the streams into the most sensitive category with the lakes. These factors are included at the end of this document as well as the proposed scoring system.

The Advisory Group will look into how development has an impact on the water resources of the county. They will focus on campgrounds, lot sizes, development patterns, shoreline buffers and setbacks, erosion control and stormwater management, as well as the protection of sensitive areas.

This project will provide funds for technical assistance to the advisory group to develop maps and graphics for public meetings and informational publications as well as for postage. Technical assistance will be in the form of a limited term employee, consulting services from the Northwest Regional Planning Commission, and Zoning Office staff. Funds may also be used for 60-100 soil tests around various lakes and up to ten lakebed top-bottom core samples. These tests will identify nutrient loadings based on sediment and phosphorus loadings. The project will establish standards for fertilizer application as well as storm water runoff management.

2.         Rusk County is proposing to utilize newly acquired digital orthophotos and our current mapping system to develop base map data that will allow the general zoning, shoreland zoning, floodplain zoning, wetlands, structures, soils, vegetative cover and topography to be placed on the map and accessed in different layers. Utilizing this digital data will enhance and improve the zoning administration of the ordinances and will be vital to continued resource protection. We will make use of ArcView GIS and AutoCAD to accomplish the GIS mapping. We will also pull data from several other sources to develop this digital database of information, such as the NRCS and DNR. Rusk County will build a lake and stream database based off the classification system. The limited term employee will be performing most of this task.

3.         This project will involve the development of an informational and educational program to assist the public in accessing information regarding lake classification, lake development issues and shoreland protection measures. The Advisory Group will develop a management plan that proposes to develop the following components:

(a) Develop written and graphical information relating to lake classification and data for each classified water body. This information will also be posted on the Zoning Office's web page, as well as displayed in and outside the Zoning Office in the courthouse.

(b) Develop a shoreland development guide that is customized to the requirements of the Rusk County Shoreland Ordinance and classification system.

(c) The management plan will identify how development impacts the waters based on lot sizes, development patterns, shoreline buffers and setbacks, erosion control and stormwater management.

(d) The management plan will also propose nutrient management objectives and/or regulations.

(e) Conduct a training session for realtors, developers, contractors, landscapers and surveyors related to lakes and streams classification and the management plan.

4.         The Advisory Group will be charged with assessing the existing shoreland ordinance. They will evaluate and discuss potential changes and make recommendations keeping in mind the protection of the water resources of Rusk County. In their first meeting, the Advisory Group will set the topics they wish to focus on.

Partners

Rusk County will look to the County Land Information Office, the Land and Water Conservation Department, UW Extension, WDNR Water Regulations personnel, Northwest Regional Planning Commission and the Ad Hoc Advisory Group to participate in this project. These partners along with citizen input will lead to a successful project outcome.

The Ad Hoc Advisory Group will be made up of 12 to 20 members, and some mem bers will wear several hats. The list of participants includes, but is not limited to: