Incidental Take Notice For Washington County

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposes to issue a permit for the "incidental taking" of a rare fish, which may result from the Wisconsin Reliability Project – Segment PL-2 in Washington County.

Incidental take refers to the unintentional loss of individual endangered or threatened animals or plants that does not put the species' overall population at risk.

ANR Pipeline Co. is proposing to replace 13.7 miles of existing pipeline with 15.7 miles of new pipeline within the Segment PL-2 portion. To accomplish the pipeline installation at Cedar Creek, ANR Pipeline Co. is proposing to install a dam and pump with upstream and downstream dams on either side of the workspace (potentially with a flume crossing) and a high-capacity pump(s) to maintain flow around the workspace. The workspace will be isolated with dams and dewatered with pumps. Up to 2,600 sq ft (0.06 acre) of temporary impacts will occur within Cedar Creek. No permanent impacts will occur. It is anticipated that all in-water activities (including restoration) will be completed in 72 hours.

The presence of the state threatened redfin shiner is confirmed in the vicinity of the project site. DNR staff determined that the proposed project may result in the incidental taking of some fish.

The DNR concludes that the proposed project is not likely to appreciably reduce the likelihood of the survival or recovery of the species within the state, the whole plant-animal community of which it is a part of or the habitat that is critical to its existence.

Conservation measures to minimize the adverse effect on the threatened species will be incorporated into the proposed Incidental Take Permit. Copies of the jeopardy assessment and background information on the redfin shiner are available by visiting the DNR Incidental Take Public Notices webpage or upon request from Stacy Rowe, DNR conservation biologist, at 608-228-9796 or Stacy.Rowe@wisconsin.gov.

The public is encouraged to submit written comments regarding project-related impacts to the redfin shiner by Oct. 16, 2024 to:

Department of Natural Resources
c/o Stacy Rowe, DNR Conservation Biologist
2514 Morse St. Janesville, WI 53545
Stacy.Rowe@wisconsin.gov or 608-228-9796