159G-25. Expenditure for emergency corrective action at a wastewater treatment works.

(a) The Department may use revenue in any account of the Wastewater Reserve to provide funds for emergency corrective action at a wastewater treatment works under the circumstances set out in this section. The amount expended in a fiscal year for corrective action under this section may not exceed two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000). An expenditure for emergency corrective action is authorized only under the following circumstances:

(1) A person holding a wastewater discharge or nondischarge permit issued under Article 21 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes is violating the terms of the permit.

(2) The wastewater treatment works operated under the permit has a design flow capacity of no more than 100,000 gallons a day.

(3) The Department has given the permit holder written notice of the violation.

(4) The permit holder refuses to take the action required to comply with the permit.

(5) The inaction by the permit holder poses a threat to public health.

(6) The Department has informed the permit holder in writing that the Department plans to take emergency corrective action and then bring a civil action against the permit holder to recover the cost of the emergency corrective action.

(b) The Department may bring a civil action against the holder of the permit for the wastewater treatment works to recover the amount expended from the Wastewater Reserve for the emergency corrective action. The amount recovered in a civil action must be credited to the account in the Wastewater Reserve from which the funds were expended.