§ 37-609 — NONCOMPLIANCE — ENFORCEMENT — PENALTIES

(1) A dairy farm operating in compliance with its environmental management plan shall not be subject to enforcement action pursuant to this chapter.
(2) The department shall address noncompliance with an environmental management plan through corrective actions, compliance schedules or other actions authorized by rules adopted pursuant to this chapter. Dairy farms shall not be subject to fines, corrective actions or compliance schedules under this chapter for upset conditions or agricultural stormwater discharges. The department’s authority to address noncompliance with environmental management plans does not alter the authority of the department of environmental quality with respect to the discharge of pollutants to waters of the United States.
(3) For noncompliance conditions or unauthorized releases, the director or his designee shall have the authority to assess a fine of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per occurrence. Civil penalties collected under this subsection shall be remitted to the county where the violation occurred for deposit in the county current expense fund.
(4) In any case in which the United States environmental protection agency initiates an enforcement action regarding an alleged violation of the clean water act related to a discharge of pollutants from a dairy farm to waters of the United States, any pending administrative or civil enforcement action initiated by the director relating to the same discharge shall be deemed void. If a compliance order addressing the alleged noncompliance has already been issued by the director, that order shall remain in full force and effect.

Legislative History

[37-609, added 2016, ch. 129, sec. 18, p. 385.]