The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has estimated that as much as 90% of the private land adjacent to lakes will be developed by the year 2025. How will increasing amounts of nearshore development affect the future water quality of our lakes?Effects of nearshore development
Development of the immediate shoreline can change the character of the lake and potentially cause water quality decline and reduced habitat for fish and other wildlife.
When a landowner develops a waterfront lot, many changes may take place including the addition of driveways, houses, decks, garages, sheds, piers, rafts and other structures, wells, septic systems, lawns, and more. Many of these changes result in the compaction of soil and the removal of trees and native plants, as well as the addition of impervious (hard) surfaces, all of which affect how well rain and snowmelt can soak into the ground and alter how precipitation makes its way into our lakes.
Changing one waterfront lot in this fashion may not result in a measurable change in the overall quality of the lake or stream, but cumulative effects when several or many lots are developed in a similar way can be enormous.
Changes in land use throughout a lake’s 
Over time, Wisconsin’s landscape has been drastically changed from pre-settlement conditions. These changes have had effects on many of our lakes. When forests were cleared and wetlands filled, many lakes lost their natural “filters.” The forests and wetlands slowed down rain and snowmelt, and much of this precipitation soaked into the ground where it was used by plants or into 
Development also fragments habitat. Many species need relatively large areas of undisturbed habitat to gather food and raise their young. When habitat is sliced and diced apart by roads, houses, and other more intense land uses, wildlife may be unable or unwilling to cross these new boundaries. Nesting cover and foraging areas may be destroyed or degraded, and native wildlife declines in diversity and abundance.