(1) Upon the filing of any petition as authorized by s. 87.03, the department shall give the project a name embodying the name of the principal river or body of water involved in the project, and shall fix a date and place of hearing upon the petition, the date being so fixed as to allow for the giving of the notice herein provided for. The department shall publish in each county in which any portion of the territory referred to in the petition is located, a class 3 notice, under ch. 985, stating the nature of the proceeding and the time and place of the proposed hearing, and shall also forward a copy of such notice to the county clerk of each such county. Each such county clerk shall thereupon mail a copy of the notice to the clerk of each town, village and city within that clerk’s county. The failure of any county clerk to comply with the foregoing requirements shall not, however, affect the jurisdiction of the department to proceed. (2) If the petition alleges that the proposed project will be located wholly upon land owned by the petitioners, that the stream affected is nonnavigable, or if navigable in fact, is not navigable for any substantial commercial or major recreational purposes, that the project is required by public health, safety, convenience or welfare and that the petitioners desire to construct and operate the project as a cooperative enterprise, the department may hear the petition upon due notice to the petitioners and to the town clerk of each town in which the project is located. If the department finds that the allegations of the petition are true, it may authorize the petitioners to proceed with the construction and operation of the project subject to plans to be approved by the department and all other procedural requirements of this chapter may thereafter be omitted, provided that the petitioners shall be jointly and severally liable for any damage to the property of others resulting from said project.
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