(1)
Except as provided in RCW 43.05.060 through 43.05.080, 43.05.100,43.05.110
, and 43.05.150, any person who:
(a) Generates any reclaimed water for a use regulated under
this chapter and distributes or uses that water without a permit;
(b) Violates the terms or conditions of a permit issued
under this chapter; or
(c) Violates rules or orders adopted or issued pursuant to
this chapter,
shall incur, in addition to any other penalty as provided by law,
a penalty in an amount of up to ten thousand dollars per day for
every violation. Each violation shall be a separate and distinct
offense, and in case of a continuing violation, every day's
continuance shall be a separate and distinct violation. Every
act of commission or omission which procures, aids, or abets in
the violation shall be considered a violation under the
provisions of this section and subject to the penalty herein
provided for. The penalty amount shall be set in consideration
of the previous history of the violator and the severity of the
violation's impact on public health, the environment, or both, in
addition to other relevant factors.
(2) A penalty imposed by a final administrative order is due
upon service of the final administrative order. A person who
fails to pay a penalty assessed by a final administrative order
within thirty days of service of the final administrative order
shall pay, in addition to the amount of the penalty, interest at
the rate of one percent of the unpaid balance of the assessed
penalty for each month or part of a month that the penalty
remains unpaid, commencing within the month in which the notice
of penalty was served, and reasonable attorneys' fees as are
incurred if civil enforcement of the final administrative order
is required to collect penalty.
(3) A person who institutes proceedings for judicial review
of a final administrative order assessing a civil penalty under
this chapter shall place the full amount of the penalty in an
interest bearing account in the registry of the reviewing court.
At the conclusion of the proceeding the court shall, as
appropriate, enter a judgment on behalf of the lead agency and
order that the judgment be satisfied to the extent possible from
moneys paid into the registry of the court or shall enter a
judgment in favor of the person appealing the penalty assessment
and order return of the moneys paid into the registry of the
court together with accrued interest to the person appealing. The
judgment may award reasonable attorneys' fees for the cost of the
attorney general's office in representing the lead agency.
(4) If no appeal is taken from a final administrative order
assessing a civil penalty under this chapter, the lead agency may
file a certified copy of the final administrative order with the
clerk of the superior court in which the person resides, or in
Thurston county, and the clerk shall enter judgment in the name
of the lead agency and in the amount of the penalty assessed in
the final administrative order.
(5) When the penalty herein provided for is imposed by the
department of ecology, it shall be imposed pursuant to the
procedures set forth in RCW 43.21B.300. All penalties imposed by
the department of ecology pursuant to RCW 43.21B.300 shall be
deposited into the state treasury and credited to the general
fund.
(6) When the penalty is imposed by the department of health,
it shall be imposed pursuant to the procedures set forth in RCW 43.70.095. All receipts from penalties shall be deposited into
the health reclaimed water account. The department of health
shall use revenue derived from penalties only to provide training
and technical assistance to reclaimed water system owners and
operators.
[2009 c 456 § 14.]