IRON COUNTY LAND & WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN March, 2020 Iron County Land & Water Conservation Department 607 3rd Ave North Hurley, WI 54534 Iron County Land and Water Resource Management Plan MARCH 2020 Acknowledgements Iron County Land Conservation Committee Chairman……………………………………….Vacant Vice Chairman…………………………………William Thomas County Board Chairman……………………...Joseph Pinardi Member…………………………………………Kenneth Saari Jr. Member…………………………………………Larry Youngs Farm Service Agency Representative……….Dale Wehmas Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department County Conservationist………………………Heather Palmquist Conservation Specialist...…………………..…Zach Wilson Other Cooperating Agencies Iron County Forestry and Parks Department Iron County Health Department Iron County Land Information Committee Iron County Land and Zoning Department Iron County University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension Natural Resource Conservation Service Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Local Advisory Committee Members Meta Brandt – Lake Association Member Joan Elias – Concerned Citizen Zach Lawson - WDNR Fisheries Biologist Jenna Malinowski – WDNR Wildlife Biologist Diane O’Krongly – Hurley Science Teacher Eric Peterson – Iron County Forestry Administrator Erika Roeder – Iron County Zoning Administrator Kenneth Saari Jr. – Land Conservation Committee Member Michael Shouldice – Lake Association Member Catherine Techtmann – University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension William Thomas – Land Conservation Committee Vice Chair Dale Wehmas – Land Conservation Committee Member/FSA Representative Plan Development Northwest Regional Planning Commission Cover Photograph Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department i Table of Contents IRON COUNTY LAND AND WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN .......................................... VI INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................VI PLAN ORGANIZATION ............................................................................................................................................VI PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ......................................................................................................................................... VII Local Advisory Committee ................................................................................................................................. vii RESOURCE ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................................................ VII General Description ............................................................................................................................................ vii Groundwater ...................................................................................................................................................... vii Surface Water ..................................................................................................................................................... vii Wetlands ............................................................................................................................................................ viii Population and Housing ................................................................................................................................... viii Woodlands ......................................................................................................................................................... viii Recreation ............................................................................................................................................................ ix Agriculture .......................................................................................................................................................... ix SOIL AND WATER RESOURCE REGULATIONS .......................................................................................................... X GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ACTIVITIES ..................................................................................................................... X Summary of the Work Plan .................................................................................................................................. x Plan Goals ............................................................................................................................................................ x PLAN IMPLEMENTATION .......................................................................................................................................... X Land and Water Quality Initiatives Implementation ........................................................................................... x Performance Standards and Prohibitions Implementation................................................................................... x Priority Areas ...................................................................................................................................................... xi Partner Strategy .................................................................................................................................................. xi Education Strategy .............................................................................................................................................. xi Water Quality Monitoring .................................................................................................................................. xi Evaluation ........................................................................................................................................................... xi BUDGET AND FUNDING ........................................................................................................................................... XI CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................................... XII CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1 BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Local Advisory Committee ................................................................................................................................... 1 PLAN REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................................................................. 2 CHAPTER 2. RESOURCE ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................... 3 GENERAL DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................................................... 3 CLIMATE ................................................................................................................................................................... 3 TOPOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................................................... 3 BEDROCK GEOLOGY ................................................................................................................................................. 4 METALLIC AND NONMETALLIC MINERALS ............................................................................................................ 4 GLACIAL GEOLOGY AND SOILS ............................................................................................................................... 4 SOIL EROSION ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 GROUNDWATER ....................................................................................................................................................... 7 SURFACE WATER .................................................................................................................................................... 10 Nonpoint Source Pollution ................................................................................................................................. 10 WATERSHEDS ......................................................................................................................................................... 10 Watershed Basin Characteristics ........................................................................................................................ 10 LAKE SUPERIOR ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 COASTAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Coastal Erosion ..................................................................................................................................................