Opinion ID: 1921143
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: What is a bulkhead line?

Text: The legislative council notes to secs. 30.04, 30.11 and 30.12, Wisconsin Statutes Annotated, indicate that bulkhead line is the term which replaced shoreline in previous statutes to conform to terminology used by the federal government and that no substantive change was intendedonly a change in terminology. Sec. 30.11, Stats., explains how a bulkhead line is established: Any municipality may establish such a line by ordinance, subject to DNR approval. While the line shall conform as nearly as practicable to the existing shores certain exceptions are allowed. Such lines are established by filing with the department a map indicating the line and the existing shore and a copy of the ordinance establishing the line. Thus, a bulkhead line is not merely the natural shoreline but is a line legislatively established by a municipality which may differ from the existing shoreline. A bulkhead line should also be distinguished from the low- and high-water marks on the shore. The ordinary low-water mark of a fluctuating lake has been defined as the line or level at which the waters of the lake usually stand when free from disturbing causes .... [1] The term ordinary high-water mark was most recently defined in State v. McDonald Lumber Co. : [2] `By ordinary high-water mark is meant the point on the bank or shore up to which the presence and action of the water is so continuous as to leave a distinct mark either by erosion, destruction of terrestrial vegetation, or other easily recognized characteristic. Lawrence v. American W. P. Co. 144 Wis. 556, 562, 128 N. W. 440. And where the bank or shore at any particular place is of such a character that it is impossible or difficult to ascertain where the point of ordinary high-water mark is, recourse may be had to other places on the bank or shore of the same stream or lake to determine whether a given stage of water is above or below ordinary highwater mark.' In McDonald it was stated that the state's title to the lake bed runs to the ordinary high-water mark. [3] However, a riparian owner has a qualified right to the land between the actual water level and the ordinary highwater markhe may exclude the public therefrom but he may not interfere with the rights of the public for navigation purposes. [4]