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Executive Summary
As the new home of WISPIRG’s environmental work, Wisconsin Environment can be reached for questions regarding this report. Wisconsin’s lakes are unhealthy and
overdevelopment is a principal cause.
Despite the exponential increase in the
amount of lakeside development over
the last forty years, the statewide rules
regulating shoreland development
(NR115) have not been meaningfully
updated since the 1960s. Overdevelopment causes many of the
water quality problems we face today in
Wisconsin, and unless this development
is curbed, our lakes will continue to be
endangered.
This report documents the danger
that overdevelopment poses to lake
water quality, wildlife, and to
Wisconsin’s economy. It also outlines
the changes in the shoreland zoning rules
that are necessary to adequately protect
Wisconsin’s lakes.
Wisconsin’s lakes are overdeveloped
and, as a result, face severe water
quality problems.
In the last forty years, lakeside
development has increased as much as
216% in parts of the state. At the current
rate of development, all Northern
Wisconsin lakes not in public ownership
will be completely developed by the year
2015.
As a result of overdevelopment, over
80% of Wisconsin’s lakes are
dangerously contaminated with
phosphorous, a nutrient that causes
excessive plant growth, algae blooms,
and endangers fish and wildlife
populations. Modern styles of
development increase both runoff
pollution and sediment loading from
erosion, the primary causes of
phosphorous pollution. Today’s
development has been shown to increase phosphorous inputs by as much as 700%
and sediment loading by 18 times.
Phosphorous decreases oxygen
levels and increases water temperature in
lakes, which leads to fish kills and
shrinks wildlife populations. In recent
years, toxins produced by blue-green
algae have also been linked to the deaths
of both a dog and a person in Wisconsin,
and new research suggests links between
these toxins and diseases such as
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and
ALS.
Shoreland development causes habitat
destruction and decreases scenic
beauty.
Development destroys wildlife habitat
around lakes and as a result, populations
of songbirds and green frogs are
dwindling across the state. The privacy
and tranquility of our lakes are also
compromised by overdevelopment;
natural scenic beauty is replaced by
driveways and sprawling homes.
Overdevelopment threatens not only
Wisconsin’s environment, but also its
economy.
Inadequate NR115 protections endanger
our property values. Clean water adds as
much as $200 per frontage foot to a lot’s
value. Moreover, while Wisconsinites
have spent millions of dollars on lake
clean-ups, this money goes to waste
because overdevelopment continues
unabated. The $7 million rehabilitation
of Delavan Lake, for example, already
shows signs of reversing itself because
shoreland zoning policies have not
changed there.
Weak shoreland zoning rules also
put our tourist economy at risk. Lake recreation is the backbone of
Wisconsin’s $11.71 billion tourist
industry, which will survive only if our
lakes are safe for swimming, boating,
and fishing. This industry also supports
over 300,000 jobs statewide.
The current NR115 is insufficient
because it does not adequately regulate
modern development.
The most harmful aspects of modern
shoreland development allowed under
NR115 include:
• Destruction of natural buffer zones. A
natural buffer is the lakeside vegetation
that filters pollutants, prevents erosion,
and provides wildlife habitat. But the
thirty-five foot buffer required under
NR115 is too small to be sufficiently
protective, and, worse, NR115 allows
these areas to be essentially clear-cut.
• Increased impervious surface area.
Paved-over surfaces like driveways and
rooftops do not filter rainwater and
greatly increase the amount of runoff
that can enter a lake. The current
NR115 does not regulate impervious
surfaces at all.
• Insufficient lot sizes. Adequate lot sizes
protect waterways by decreasing housing
density and leaving more land to filter
pollutants. The current NR115 does not
require large enough lot sizes for singleor
multi-unit dwellings
The current shoreland zoning rules
must be updated.
NR115 must be updated immediately to
adequately protect Wisconsin’s lakes
from the dangers of increased
development. The DNR’s Natural
Resources Board should vote stronger
shoreland zoning rules out for public
comment in May, and the legislature should approve these rules. An
improved NR 115 should include:
• A minimum lot size of 20,000 square
feet and a 100-foot average width for
single-unit structures;
• Larger minimum lot size standards for
multi-unit structures;
• An impervious surface limitation of
20%;
• A natural buffer requirement of 50 feet.
Stronger statewide minimum standards
will prevent future harm to our lakes
and our economy, ensure equal
competition among counties across
Wisconsin, and safeguard a vital part of
Wisconsin’s heritage and culture.
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