Section 191.22. Definitions.

  The following definitions apply to this subchapter:

(1)  "Comprehensive land use plan" means a document that maps and quantifies current and future land use conditions and describes goals, objectives, policies and programs to guide the future development of public and private property within a geographic area. Plans do not need to conform to the definition of comprehensive plans in s. 66.1001 , Stats.

(2)  "Core terrestrial area" means the upland habitat adjacent to the ordinary high water mark that provides both water quality or ecosystem benefits to a waterbody.

(3)  "Enhancement" means activities conducted in existing wetlands and shoreline habitat areas that increase one or more beneficial wetland or shoreline habitat functional values.

(4)  "Functional values" means the aesthetic, physical, chemical and biological processes or attributes that occur in a wetland system or shoreline habitat area and how society finds certain functions beneficial as listed in ss. NR 103.03 (1) and 1.95 and ch. NR 115 .

(5)  "Littoral area" means the plant producing shallow water zone of a lake extending from the ordinary high water mark to the greatest lake depth capable of being occupied by rooted aquatic plants.

(6)  "Ordinary high water mark" means the point on the bank or shore up to which the presence and action of surface water is so continuous as to leave a distinctive mark such as by erosion, destruction or prevention of terrestrial vegetation, predominance of aquatic vegetation or other easily recognized characteristics. Where the bank or shore at any particular place is of such character that it is difficult or impossible to ascertain where the point of ordinary high water mark is, recourse may be had to the opposite bank of a stream or to other places on the shore of a lake or flowage to determine whether a given stage of water is above or below the ordinary high water mark.

(7)  "Mitigation project" means the restoration, enhancement or creation of wetlands or shoreline habitat to compensate for permitted adverse impacts to other wetlands or shoreline habitats. "Mitigation project" includes using credits from a wetland mitigation bank.

(8)  "Restoration" means to enhance or reestablish historic wetland or shoreline habitat conditions and functions, to the maximum extent practicable, at a site where they have been diminished, including reestablishing natural hydrology, natural land contours, native vegetation, controlling invasive species and the replacement of rock or woody cover.

(9)  "Shoreline habitat" means the area adjacent to both sides of the ordinary high water mark including the littoral area and the core terrestrial area.

(10)  "Wetlands" has the meaning given in s. 23.32 (1) , Stats.

CR 02-122 : cr. Register May 2003 No. 569 , eff. 6-1-03.