Whoever hereafter erects a dam on any of the public waters of this State shall, within 3 years after a head of water is held and flowage created thereby, remove from the flowed area all trees, bushes and stumps that he can legally remove therefrom, to such an extent that the tops of all trees, bushes and stumps left thereon shall be at least 5 feet below the surface of the mean low-water level maintained during the period beginning June 1st and ending December 1st next following of each year and shall within said 3-year period remove such growth as he can legally remove from the edge of the flowed area to such an extent that no dry-ki and debris shall form to be carried away by the water. For the purpose of protecting the right of the public in the navigation of the waters over said flowed area the owner of such dam shall, after the creation of flowage thereby, have the right to cut and remove from the flowed area all trees, bushes and stumps remaining thereon, and the damage to the owner thereof caused by such removal shall be ascertained in the same manner as is provided for the ascertainment of the damages caused by the flowage. Any dam erected hereafter which is maintained in violation of this section shall constitute a public nuisance, and be subject to section 2706. This section shall not apply to dams which are created solely for log driving purposes where the water is stored for not exceeding 3 months of each year, nor shall the same be interpreted in any instance to require the removal of stumps below the swell of the roots.
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