ELR Citation: ELR 20110
No(s). 143 (Wis. Feb 1, 1972)

All natural resources in the state of Wisconsin are impressed with a public trust for usage and conservation as a state resource, according to common law. Any statute requiring a riparian owner to obtain a permit to divert water is a derogation from common law and must be construed strictly. Under the wording of the Wisconsin statute, a veterans' home did not have to receive a permit to divert water from a lake to another watershed.

Counsel for Appellant
William A. Chatterton
321 So. Hamilton Street
Madison, WI 53703

Counsel for Respondent
Robert W. Warren
Attorney General
229 Loraine
Madison, WI 53703