If in the judgment of the Department of Environmental Conservation, the purpose of the applicant for the permit or license is to develop power, obtain water for civic, domestic, irrigation, manufacturing, mining, or other purposes tending to develop the natural resources of the state, the department may grant the permit or license and may require the applicant to construct and maintain adequate fish ladders, fishways, or other means by which fish may pass over, around, or through the dam, obstruction or diversion in the pursuit of the propagation or spawning process.