Doyle will veto bill to regulate piers

Maybe the DNR will not interpret your pier illegal, or maybe they will --

The Janesville Gazette

...A veto would throw the state's regulations of piers into uncertainty as water enthusiasts start to use them this spring to boat and fish, a favorite pastime in a state with 15,000 lakes.

...Todd Ambs, a DNR water administrator, called those changes "fatal flaws" because they allow structures wide enough to block sunlight from getting to water, killing plants and shrinking fish populations, while giving the agency no money for enforcement. He said the DNR would urge a veto.

...Ambs said a veto would leave regulations for piers unclear this summer. He said those with existing piers less than six feet wide have nothing to worry about. Those with larger structures probably would not be regulated this summer without clearer rules in place, he said.

For people thinking of building piers, Ambs said: "Put something out there that's no more than six feet wide and does not have a loading platform on the end and you'll be fine."