Section 12-5-192. Civil penalties; procedures for imposing penalty; hearing; review

   (a) (1) For any public water system serving 10,000 or more individuals, any person violating any provision of this part or any permit condition or limitation established pursuant to this part or negligently or intentionally failing or refusing to comply with any final order of the director issued as provided in this part shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000.00 per day per violation.

   (2) For any public water system serving fewer than 10,000 individuals, any person violating any provision of this part or any permit condition or limitation established pursuant to this part or negligently or intentionally failing or refusing to comply with any final order of the director issued as provided in this part shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000.00 for the first day of each violation and a subsequent additional civil penalty not to exceed $500.00 per violation for each additional day during which the violation continues.

   (3) Any person willfully violating any provision of this part or any permit condition or limitation established pursuant to this part or willfully failing or refusing to comply with any final order of the director issued as provided in this part shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000.00 per day per violation.

(b) Whenever the director has reason to believe that any person has violated any provision of this part or has negligently or willfully failed or refused to comply with any final order of the director, he or she may, upon written request, cause a hearing to be conducted before a hearing officer appointed by the Board of Natural Resources. Upon a finding that such person has violated any provision of this part or has negligently or willfully failed or refused to comply with a final order of the director, the hearing officer shall issue his or her initial decision imposing such civil penalties as are provided in this Code section. Such hearing and any administrative or judicial review thereof shall be conducted in accordance with subsection (c) of Code Section 12-2-2.

Ga. L. 1977, p. 351, § 19; Ga. L. 1998, p. 1667, § 1.