Wisconsin Administrative Code › Department of Natural Resources › NR 300-399 - Environmental Protection - Water Regulation › Chapter NR 328 - Shore Erosion Control Structures In Navigable Waterways › Subchapter III - Shore Erosion Control Structures on Rivers and Streams › Section NR 328.38 - Data requirements and site assessment methods

Current through June 24, 2024
Applicants and department staff shall adhere to the
					 following data requirements and site assessment methods:
(1) IDENTIFICATION OF ECOREGIONS AND URBAN
				  AREAS. Ecoregions and urban areas identified in Figure 1 are based on
				  scientific literature characterizing the ecology of Wisconsin streams (Lyons et
				  al. 1996; Wang et al.1997; Lyons et al. 2001; Wang et al. 2003; and Weigel et
				  al. 2006), Omernik 1987, and Omernik et al. 2000. The department shall provide
				  applicants with maps and internet-based location tools for the purpose of
				  determining ecoregion and urban watersheds.
See
								  Image
Note:
Lyons, J., L. Wang, and T. Simonson.
					 1996. Development and Validation of an index of biotic integrity for coldwater
					 streams in Wisconsin. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 16:
					 241-265.
Lyons, J., R.R. Piette, and K.W. Niermeyer. 2001.
					 Development, validation, and application of a fish-based index of biotic
					 integrity for Wisconsin's large warmwater rivers. Transactions of the American
					 Fisheries Society 130:1077-1094.
Omernik, J.M., 1987, Ecoregions of the conterminous United
					 States (map supplement): Annals of the Association of American Geographers, v.
					 77, no. 1, p.
Omernik, J. M., Chapman, S. S., Lillie, R. A., Dumke, R. T.
					 (2000) "Ecoregions of Wisconsin" Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of
					 Sciences, Arts, and Letters 88: 77-103
Wang, L., J. Lyons, P. Kanehl, and R. Gatti. 1997.
					 Influences of watershed land use on habitat quality and biotic integrity in
					 Wisconsin streams. Fisheries 22(6):6-12.
Wang, L., J. Lyons, P. Rasmussen, P. Seelbach, T. Simon, M.
					 Wiley, P. Kanehl, E. Baker, S. Niemela, and P.M. Stewart. 2003. Watershed,
					 reach, and riparian influences on stream fish assemblages in the Northern Lakes
					 and Forest Ecoregion, U.S.A. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
					 60: 491-505.
Weigel, B.M, J. Lyons, and P. Rasmussen. 2006. Relative
					 influence of environmental variables at multiple spatial scales on fishes in
					 Wisconsin's warmwater nonwadeable rivers. American Fisheries Society Symposium
					 48:493-511.
(2) CALCULATION
				  OF STREAM BANK EROSION INTENSITY INDEX. The department shall provide applicants
				  with worksheets and internet-based computer software for the purpose of
				  calculating the bank erosion potential index (BEPI). When the department or
				  applicants assess erosion at the bank stabilization site, they shall apply
				  methods outlined in Table 1 to calculate a bank erosion potential index (BEPI)
				  score. For each continuous treatment site of 300 feet or less, applicants shall
				  submit at least one BEPI assessment. For continuous treatments greater than 300
				  feet, applicants shall conduct and submit BEPI assessments at 150 foot
				  intervals along the treatment site.
Table 1
Bank Erosion Potential Index (Bepi) Score Worksheet
Applicants and department staff shall use this worksheet to
					 calculate erosion intensity pursuant to s. NR 328.38(2).
STREAMBANK VARIABLES
DESCRIPTIVE CATEGORIES
Erosion Intensity Value is Located in Parenthesis
								  at Bottom of Each Category Box.
SCORE
Bank Materials -
predominance of bank materials at toe (between
								  bed and 
								  1OHWM on bank
								  face).
Bedrock Outcrop
Stop assessment BEPI=0
Cobble >3 inches
(-10 points)
Silt/Clay
(0 points)
Gravel <3 inches
(5 points)
Sandy Gravel
(7 points)
Non plastic sands and silts (10 points)
Hydraulic Influence of Upstream Structures
- distance (number of channel widths) to bridges, culverts, or dams.
Calculation:
Number of Channel Widths= Stream Distance to
								  Structure / Average Channel Width
10+ channel widths
(1 point)
5.1-10
channel widths (2 points)
2.1-5
channel widths
(3 points)
0-2
channel widths
(4 points)
2Max Bank Height
								  (feet) Divided by the OHWM Height (feet)
Calculation:
Max Bank Height /
OHWM Height
1 - 1.19
Very Low or Low
(2 points)
1.2 - 1.5
Medium
(5 points)
1.6 - 2.0
High
(7 points)
2.1 - 2.8
Very High
(8 points)
>2.8
Extreme (10 points)
3Bank
								  Slope
(degrees)
- measure rise/run and translate into angle
								  degree
Calculation:
Bank Slope= Inverse Tangent (Rise/
								  Run)
0 - 20
Very Low
(1 point)
21 - 60
Low
(3 points)
61 - 80
Moderate
(5 points)
81 - 90
Vertical
(7 points)
91+
Undercut
(10 points)
4
Stratification/
								  Bank Layering
-type of soil layering occurring on the bank face.
No stratification (0 points)
No stratification, seepage present
(3 points)
Stratified above OHWM
(4 points)
Stratified above OHWM with seepage present, or
								  stratified below OHWM
(7 points)
Stratified below OHWM with visual seepage
(10 points)
5Bank Vegetation
-
abundance of the vegetation, roots, and
								  tree-falls occurring between the OHWM and the bank lip.
Rock outcrop bank-unable to support
								  vegetation.
(-7 points)
Dense vegetation <30% bare soil visible (-4
								  points)
Clumps of vegetation 30-59% bare soil
								  visible
(0 points)
Sparse vegetation 60-90% bare soil visible
(4 points)
Vegetation absent >90% bare soil
								  visible
(7 points)
6Thalweg
								  Location -
deepest part of the channel and the location of stream
								  current.
Located across the stream, against opposite bank
								  (0 points)
Flowing down the center of the stream
								  channel
(2 points)
Immediately adjacent to bank proposed for erosion
								  control (8 points)
Bank Erosion Potential Index (BEPI)
								  Score
Note:
Table 1 is adapted from Rosgen, David
					 L. "A Practical Method of Computing Streambank Erosion Rate", Wildland
					 Hydrology Inc., Pagosa Springs, CO, 10 pp.
1. Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) means the
				  point on the bank or shore up to which the presence and action of water is so
				  continuous as to leave a distinct mark either by erosion, destruction of
				  terrestrial vegetation or other easily recognizable characteristics. If bank
				  material is composed of bedrock outcrop, stop with the BEPI assessment at this
				  point; the reported total BEPI score is assumed equal to 0.
2. Maximum bank height means the vertical
				  measure (feet) from the bank toe to the top of the bank lip, irrespective of
				  changes in the water level. Bank toe is the inflection or bending point between
				  the bank face and stream bed.
3. To
				  measure the bank slope (degrees), the rise and run must be measured from the
				  bank toe to the top of the bank lip. With your measure tape or stick, place the
				  end firmly on the bank toe, parallel to the bank face and measure up to the
				  bank lip to find the rise or max bank height. Subsequently, measure the run
				  from the bank toe to the bank lip. From these measures, one should be able to
				  calculate the bank slope with the formula `bank slope= inverse tangent
				  (rise/run)'. Additionally, the BEPI Calculator is available on the Department's
				  website
http://dnr.wi.gov
. This website
				  automatically calculates the bank slope and BEPI score after inputting fields
				  for bank materials, structures upstream, OHWM height, max bank height, distance
				  to bank face, bank layering/stratification, bank vegetation, and thalweg
				  location.
See
								  Image
4.
				  Stratification or bank layering means soils consisting of alternating layers of
				  varying soils or textures.
5. Bank
				  vegetation is the type and abundance of vegetation occurring between the
				  ordinary high water mark (OHWM) and the bank lip. To assess the abundance of
				  vegetation on the targeted bank, apply a 10 foot wide window of assessment from
				  the OHWM to the top of the bank. The following percentages are assigned for the
				  categories: bare soil visible over less than 30% of the surface area=dense
				  vegetation; bare soil visible across 30-59% of the surface area= clumps of
				  vegetation; bare soil visible across 60-90% of the surface area = vegetation
				  sparse; bare soil visible across > 90% of the surface area = vegetation
				  absent. Root wads, tree falls, and snags on the bank are considered in this
				  assessment, because of their influence on thalweg, sediment transport, scour,
				  and bank protection. After assessing the percentage of bare soil in the `box',
				  record its associated point value.
6. Thalweg means the deepest part of the
				  channel or the location of fastest current. To find the thalweg, the channel
				  must be divided into thirds. The applicant needs to perform one or a mixture of
				  tests for the three segments in determining its location. The following tests
				  are suggested: float an object such as an orange peel down the stream to find
				  the segment of fastest current, find the segment with the bubble line visible
				  at the water's surface, or find the deepest part of the channel, if safe. After
				  locating the thalweg, record its proximity to the tested bank, adjacent
				  (closest), center, or opposite (furthest) and record its associated point
				  value.
See
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