281.68 Lake management planning grants and lake monitoring and protection contracts.

591 words·~3 min read·/wi/chapter-281/281-68

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(1)Definitions. In this section:

(ag)“Lake” includes a flowage.

(ar)“Producer-led group” means any group that meets the criteria under s. 93.59

(2).

(b)“Qualified lake association” means an association that meets the qualifications under sub.

(a).

(c)“Qualified school district” is a school district that meets the qualifications under sub.

(c).

(1m)Purposes of grants and contracts. The department shall develop and administer a financial assistance program to provide lake management planning grants and to award contracts under sub.

(1t)for projects to provide information and education on the use of lakes and natural lake ecosystems and on the quality of water in lakes and the quality of natural lake ecosystems.

(1r)Uses of grants. Lake management planning grants shall be used to improve water quality assessment and planning and to aid in the selection of activities to do any of the following:

(a)Prevent pollution from entering into lakes or into natural lake ecosystems.

(b)Protect or improve the quality of water in lakes or the quality of natural lake ecosystems.

(1t)Lake monitoring and protection contracts. The department may award contracts to groups or persons for the creation and support of a statewide lake monitoring network. The contracts may include payments for the costs of all of the following:

(a)Training, equipment, and supplies necessary for water quality sample collection, lake surveys, and watercraft inspection.

(b)Handling, shipping, and laboratory analysis of water samples.

(c)Developing, maintaining, and managing a statewide database system for entering, tracking, evaluating, and reporting water quality and lake survey results.

(d)Producing and distributing water quality and lake survey results and reports.

(2)Amount of grants and contracts.

(a)The department may provide a grant of 67 percent of the cost of a lake management planning project up to a total of $25,000 per grant. In each fiscal year, the total amount of moneys awarded as grants for lake management planning projects may not exceed $50,000 for any one lake.

(b)The total amount of lake monitoring and protection contracts for each fiscal year may not exceed 25 percent of the total amount appropriated under s. 20.370

(ar),

(as), and

(av).

(3)Rules for grants and contracts.

(a)The department shall promulgate rules for the administration of the lake management planning grant program which shall include all of the following:

1. Eligible recipients to consist of nonprofit conservation organizations, as defined in s. 23.0955

(1), producer-led groups conducting producer-led group projects, counties, cities, towns, villages, qualified lake associations, town sanitary districts, qualified school districts, public inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts, and other local governmental units, as defined in s. 66.0131

(a), that are established for the purpose of lake management. If a producer-led group is not a legal entity, the eligible recipient shall be a legal entity on behalf of the producer-led group.

2. Eligible activities, which shall include all of the following for lakes and natural lake ecosystems:

a. Data collection.

b. Assessments of water quality and of fish and aquatic life and their habitat.

c. Assessments of the uses of a lake and the uses of the land surrounding the lake.

d. Nonpoint source pollution evaluation.

e. Informational or educational programs and materials.

f. Providing programs and materials that promote the monitoring of private on-site wastewater treatment systems, the reduction in the use of environmentally harmful chemicals, water safety, and the protection of natural lake ecosystems.