Waterway & Wetland Permits: Streambank Erosion Control

“I am concerned about erosion along my stream or riverfront property. What should I do to protect the streambank? Do I need to obtain a permit?” Natural shoreline features provide erosion control in various ways. For example, stream meanders help slow the velocity of water along with vegetation, which also helps stabilize the bank when streams swell with water. Every shoreline is exposed to different natural events and human activities that can cause erosion. A small amount of soil erosion may not be a cause for any concern, but intervention may be needed on some shorelines. Please see our causes of erosion Web page for more information on lake shore erosion.

If your property is on a river or stream, the following steps will help you learn about appropriate erosion control methods. Permits will generally be required to place streambank structures such as fiber logs, rock riprap or any type of seawall.

Because of their potential for harming fish and wildlife habitats and other public rights, the construction of seawalls is rarely permitted.

There are a variety of types of streambank erosion control protection that you can use for your site. These include:

• Biological (sometimes referred to as "Biostabilization")
• Vegetated Armoring (sometimes referred to as "Integrated Bank Treatment")
• Traditional Riprap, or rock
• Seawall

The technique you choose to use on your property is dependent upon the specific erosion issues you are encountering at your site.

There are two types of General permits available including:

• NEW erosion control structures, or REPAIR of exisiting erosion control structures,
• REPLACEMENT of existing erosion control structures.

Placement of NEW erosion control structures,
or REPAIR of existing erosion control structures:

For placement of NEW erosion control structures or REPAIR of existing erosion control structures, your eligibiity for these permits is based upon the stream ecology and how the land is being used in your watershed. For example, Streams in forested watersheds have a high percent of natural shore vegetation, and also exhibit seasonally stable flows, whereas streams in agriculture watersheds may have more frequent and larger flooding events creating severe bank erosion problems. Streams in urban watersheds are frequently confined by man-made structures that cannot be moved.

General permits are available for Biostabilization projects using vegetation and biological materials, and for Integrated Bank Treatment using a combination of rock, vegetation and biological materials.

If you are starting a new project or repairing a pre-exisiting project, please follow these steps to verify your project location, and to determine if you are elgible for a general permit

1. Open the Wisconsin DNR Surface Water Data Viewer
2. Near the top of your screen there will be a series of horizontal links with a blue background. Open the link titled "Find Location". Once this link is clicked, a list of ways to find your location will appear on the left side of your screen. Choose the method that makes the most sense to you. Once you have found your location, you should see a map of your location on the right of your screen.
3. Again, near the top of your screen there will be a series of horizontal links with a blue background. Open the link titled "Layers". Once this link is clicked, a list of folders will appear on the left side of your screen. Locate the folder titled "Permits & Related Data"
4. Click on the folder icon () that appears to the left of the title "Permits & Related Data". Once this folder is opened you will see a list of links. Find the one titled "Erosion Control General Permit Availability".
5. To the left of the link titled "Erosion Control General Permit Availability" you will see an empty checkbox (). Click this box to check it (). The map of your location on the right of your screen should now be color coded.
6. Now you are ready to determine what streambank erosion control General Permit you are eligible for based on your location. Below the series of horizontal links with a blue background there are 9 white buttons. Choose the button labled "Identify" (), which should then 'glow' yellow when it is selected () As you move your mouse over the map, your cursor will appear as a plus sign (+). Click your cursor over the location of your project.
7. Once you have clicked the plus sign on your project location, a listing of information will appear on the left side of your screen. Scroll down to the area title "Erosion Control General Permit Availability" and look for the sublisting titled "Potential GP Availability". The information contained here identifies which General Permit you are elgible for.
8. Match the information listed unter the title “Potential GP Availability” to any of the general permit applications listed below
   • General Permit Attachment: Biostabilization [PDF 226KB]
   • General Permit Attachment: Integrated Bank Treatment [PDF 420KB]
   • General Permit Attachment: Repair of Riprap (placed prior to August 1, 2007) [PDF 471KB]
   
   

   Choose the activity that best fits what you want to do and Don’t forget to fill out and submit your:
   • Bank Erosion Potential Index (BEPI) Worksheet [PDF 38KB].

   Send the completed attachment, along with the Water Resources Application for Project Permits (WRAPP) [#3500-053, PDF 46KB] cover sheet , fee and Fee Sheet [#3500-053A, PDF 93KB], to the permit intake address based on the county where your project is located on our Permit Intake & Contacts page. Please note: if you are applying for more than one activity, you only need to include one WRAPP cover sheet with your General Permit Attachments. For more information about how your application is reviewed, see our Web page on the Permit Process.

   In addition, don't forget to look at the sample drawings listed near the bottom of this page to ensure that your plans submitted with your application have all the necessary components for review. Otherwise your application may be delayed.

Replacement of EXISTING erosion control

General permits are available for replacement of existing Biostabilization projects using vegetation and biological materials, and for Replacement of existing Integrated Bank Treatment which uses a combination of rock, vegetation and biological materials.

If you are completely replacing what you have, please follow these steps to verify your project location, and to determine if you are elgible for a general permit

1. Open the Wisconsin DNR Surface Water Data Viewer
2. Near the top of your screen there will be a series of horizontal links with a blue background. Open the link titled "Find Location". Once this link is clicked, a list of ways to find your location will appear on the left side of your screen. Choose the method that makes the most sense to you. Once you have found your location, you should see a map of your location on the right of your screen.
3. Again, near the top of your screen there will be a series of horizontal links with a blue background. Open the link titled "Layers". Once this link is clicked, a list of folders will appear on the left side of your screen. Locate the folder titled "Permits & Related Data"
4. Click on the folder icon () that appears to the left of the title "Permits & Related Data". Once this folder is opened you will see a list of links. Find the one titled "Erosion Control General Permit Availability".
5. To the left of the link titled "Erosion Control General Permit Availability" you will see an empty checkbox (). Click this box to check it (). The map of your location on the right of your screen should now be color coded.
6. Now you are ready to determine what streambank erosion control General Permit you are eligible for based on your location. Below the series of horizontal links with a blue background there are 9 white buttons. Choose the button labled "Identify" (), which should then 'glow' yellow when it is selected () As you move your mouse over the map, your cursor will appear as a plus sign (+). Click your cursor over the location of your project.
7. Once you have clicked the plus sign on your project location, a listing of information will appear on the left side of your screen. Scroll down to the area title "Erosion Control General Permit Availability" and look for the sublisting titled "Potential GP Availability". The information contained here identifies which General Permit you are elgible for.
8. Match the information listed unter the title “Potential GP Availability” to any of the general permit applications listed below
   • General Permit Attachment: Replacement of Structure (Seawall or Riprap) with Biostabilization [PDF 227KB]
   • General Permit Attachment: Replacement of Structure (Seawall or Riprap) with Integrated Bank Treatment [PDF 228KB]
   
   Choose the activity that best first what you want to do and Don’t forget to fill out and submit your:
   Bank Erosion Potential Index (BEPI) Worksheet [PDF 38KB]
   
   

   Send the completed attachment, along with the Water Resources Application for Project Permits (WRAPP) [#3500-053, PDF 46KB] cover sheet , fee and Fee Sheet [#3500-053A, PDF 93KB], to the permit intake address based on the county where your project is located on our Permit Intake & Contacts page. Please note: if you are applying for more than one activity, you only need to include one WRAPP cover sheet with your General Permit Attachments. For more information about how your application is reviewed, see our Web page on the Permit Process.

   In addition, don't forget to look at the sample drawings listed near the bottom of this page to ensure that your plans submitted with your application have all the necessary components for review. Otherwise your application may be delayed.

If the standards contained in the General Permit applications do not fit your project, please apply for an Individual Permit:

Laws

Applicable statutes and codes include Section 30.12, Wis. Stats. [exit DNR], [PDF 627KB] and NR 328-Subchapter III, Wis. Adm. Code [exit DNR], [PDF 44KB].

Local permits and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulations may also apply. We advise you to contact your local zoning office and your regional U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office [exit DNR].