(1) When immediate action is necessary to protect the structural integrity of a dam, the department may issue a permit before the expiration of the 20-day period referred to in section 31511(1). This subsection does not prohibit an owner from taking action necessary to mitigate emergency conditions if imminent danger of failure exists.

  (2) A person applying for a permit to reconstruct a failed dam shall file a complete application not less than 1 year after the date of the failure. If such an application is filed more than 1 year after the date of the failure, the department shall consider the application to be an application to construct a new dam.