A. 
In general. A POTW may suspend the wastewater treatment service or block or otherwise cut off a sewer connection leading to a POTW when such suspension, revocation or cut off is necessary, in the opinion of the POTW, in order to stop an actual or threatened discharge which:
(1) 
Presents or may present an imminent or substantial endangerment to the health or welfare or persons.
(2) 
Presents or may present an imminent or substantial endangerment to the environment.
(3) 
May cause or actually causes interference, pass-through or bypass to the POTW.
(4) 
May cause or actually causes the sewage sludge of a POTW to be unfit for reclamation and reuse.
(5) 
Causes the POTW to violate any conditions of its NPDES or state discharge permit.
B. 
Additional suspension of service to industrial user. A POTW may suspend the wastewater treatment service or block or otherwise cut off the sewer connection from an industrial user if the industrial user does any of the following:
(1) 
Fails to grant right of entry pursuant to § 256-68.
(2) 
Fails to submit a permit application which fails to comply with the requirements of § 256-70 within five days after the Authority serves on the industrial user written notice that failure to apply for a permit may result in suspension of services.
C. 
Reinstatement. A POTW may reinstate wastewater treatment service to any person or industrial user to whom service has been suspended upon proof of the elimination of a noncomplying or potentially noncomplying discharge.
A POTW may revoke any wastewater discharge permit or septage hauler discharge permit if the POTW finds:
A. 
A user or septage hauler has falsified forms, reports, information or records submitted or retained in accordance with this Article, or in connection with any permit application, permit or manifest submitted or issued pursuant to this Article.
B. 
A user or septage hauler has violated any condition of a wastewater discharge permit or septage discharge permit.
C. 
A user has refused the right of entry guaranteed pursuant to § 256-70 or a septage hauler has refused to allow a POTW to draw a sample of his septage.
D. 
A user or septage hauler has failed to reapply for a permit or request a required permit modification.
E. 
A user or septage hauler has discharged into the POTW in violation of this Article.
F. 
A septage hauler whose tank truck or other equipment is not in compliance with the requirements of § 256-86.
G. 
A change in circumstances requires a temporary or permanent reduction or elimination of an otherwise permitted discharge.
A. 
Issuance. The Authority may issue a notice of violation ("NOV") if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the person to whom the NOV is directed has violated:
(1) 
This Article.
(2) 
Any rule or regulation adopted pursuant to this Article.
(3) 
Any order or permit issued pursuant to this Article.
B. 
Contents. A NOV issued under this section shall:
(1) 
Specify the provision(s) that allegedly has been violated.
(2) 
State the facts in support of the alleged violation.
A. 
In general. After or concurrently with service of a NOV under this Article, the Authority may:
(1) 
Issue an order that requires the person to whom the order is directed to take corrective action within a time set forth in the order.
(2) 
Send a written notice that requires the person to whom the notice is directed to file a written report about an alleged violation.
(3) 
Send a written notice that requires the person to whom the notice is directed:
(a) 
To appear at a hearing at a time and place scheduled in order to answer the charges in the NOV; or
(b) 
To file a written report and also appear at a hearing at a time and place set to answer the charges in the NOV.
B. 
Effective date of order. Any order issued under this ordinance is effective immediately according to its terms upon service. Any person who is issued an order shall be required to take any directed action within the time specified in the order regardless of any hearing rights evoked pursuant to this section.
A. 
Manner of service. Any NOV, order, notice or other instrument issued by the Authority pursuant to this Article may be served on the person to whom it is directed:
(1) 
Personally;
(2) 
By publication on or at the entranceway to the premises or property from which discharges to a POTW occur;
(3) 
By certified mail, return receipt requested, bearing a postmark from the United States Postal Service, to the person's last known address as shown on the Department's records; or
(4) 
By certified mail, return receipt requested, bearing a postmark from the United States Postal Service, to the last known address of the person in whose name the property on which the violation occurred is assessed for taxation.
B. 
Certificate of service. If service is made by certified mail, return receipt requested, bearing a postmark from the United States Postal Service, the person who mails the document shall file with the Authority verified proof of mailing.
A. 
Hearing on order. Within 10 days after being served with an order, the person served may request a hearing by serving a written request on the Director of Administration. Service shall be made personally or by certified mail, return receipt requested, bearing a postmark from the United States Postal Service.
B. 
Subpoenas; witnesses.
(1) 
In connection with any hearing under this subtitle, the Director of Administration may:
(a) 
Subpoena any person or evidence.
(b) 
Order a witness to give evidence.
(2) 
A subpoenaed witness who is not an employee of the county shall receive the same fees and mileage reimbursement as if the hearing were part of a civil action in the Circuit Court of Maryland.
A. 
Orders.
(1) 
Unless the person served with a NOV and order makes a timely request for a hearing pursuant to § 256-97, the NOV and order becomes a final NOV and order on the 11th day after service.
(2) 
If a person who has been issued a NOV or an order under this Article makes a timely request for a hearing, i.e., requests a hearing within 10 days after service in accordance with § 256-97, the NOV or order becomes a final NOV or corrective order when the Director of Administration renders a decision following the hearing.
The Authority shall publish annually in the two largest local newspapers a list of industrial users which at any time during the previous 12 months were in significant noncompliance with applicable pretreatment requirements. For the purpose of this provision, an industrial user is in significant noncompliance if its violation(s) meets one more of the following criteria:
A. 
Chronic violations of wastewater discharge limits, defined here as those in which 66% or more of all of the measurements taken during a six-month (6-month) period exceed (by any magnitude) the daily maximum limit or the average limit for the same pollutant parameter.
B. 
Technical review criteria (TRC) violations, defined here as those in which 33% or more of all of the measurements for each pollutant parameter taken during a six-month (6-month) period equal or exceed the product of the daily maximum limit or the average limit multiplied by the applicant TRC (TRC = 1.4 for BOD, TSS, fats, oil and grease, and 1.2 for all other pollutants except pH).
C. 
Any other violation of a pretreatment effluent limit (daily maximum or longer-term average) that the Authority determines has caused, alone or in combination with other discharges, interference or pass-through (including endangering the health of POTW personnel or the general public);
D. 
Any discharge of a pollutant that has caused imminent endangerment to human health, welfare or to the environment or has resulted in a POTW's exercise of its emergency Authority under 40 C.F.R. § 403.8(f)(1)(vi)(B) to halt or prevent such a discharge;
E. 
Failure to meet, within 90 days after the schedule date, a compliance schedule milestone contained in a local control mechanism or enforcement order for starting construction, completing construction or attaining final compliance;
F. 
Failure to provide, within 30 days after the due date, any report required by this Article, including by way of example only, a baseline monitoring report, a ninety-day (90-day) compliance report, a periodic self-monitoring report and any report on compliance with compliance schedules;
G. 
Failure to promptly or accurately report noncompliance;
H. 
Any other violation or group of violations which the POTW determines will adversely affect the operation or implementation of the local pretreatment program.
If additional pretreatment or operation and maintenance will be required for an industrial user to comply with any provisions of this Article or a state or federal pretreatment standard or requirement, the Authority may require the industrial user to submit for approval a schedule specifying the shortest time frame for the user to achieve compliance. This schedule will contain increments of progress in the form of dates for the commencement and completion of major events leading to the construction and operation of the additional pretreatment to bring the industrial user into compliance.
A. 
In general. The county may bring an action for an injunction against any person who violates any provision of this Article or any rules, regulations, order or permit adopted or issued under this Article.
B. 
Administrator's findings. In any action for an injunction under this section, any finding of the Director of Administration after a hearing is prima facie evidence of each fact the Director of Administration determines.
C. 
Grounds. On a showing that any person is violating or is about to violate this subtitle or any rule, regulation, order or permit adopted or issued by the county, the Court shall grant an injunction without requiring a showing of a lack of an adequate remedy at law.
D. 
Emergency. If an emergency arises due to imminent danger to the public health or welfare, or imminent danger to the environment, the county may sue for an immediate injunction to stop any pollution or other activity that is causing the danger.
In addition to any fee required under Part 6 of this Article, a user who is in violation of §§ 256-58, 256-59, 256-70 or 256-78, or is, through sampling or monitoring data or analysis obtained by the county, discovered to be making discharges in violation of this Article or the Act as defined herein shall immediately upon demand pay for all costs and expenses incurred by the county in sampling and monitoring the user's wastewater discharges or in having the user's wastewater discharges sampled and monitored by any person retained by the county for that purpose. The county may continue to obtain reimbursement of those expenditures until sampling analysis confirms that the user's wastewater discharges have been in compliance with this Article and the Act as defined herein for a period of seven consecutive operating days.
Civil action. In addition to being subject to an injunctive action under this Article, a person who violates any provision of this Article or any rule, regulation, order or permit adopted or issued under this Article is liable to pay a civil penalty not exceeding $1,000 per violation per day, to be collected in a civil action. Each day a violation occurs is a separate violation. Each section, subsection, rule, regulation, order or permit condition that contains a requirement or prohibition which is violated constitutes a separate violation.
A. 
Violating ordinances, rules, regulations, orders or permits.
(1) 
A person who violates any provision or fails to perform any duty imposed by this Article or who violates any provision or fails to perform any duty imposed by any rule, regulation, order or permit adopted or issued under this Article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, is subject to a fine not to exceed $1,000 per day per violation or imprisonment not to exceed six months, or both. Each day a violation occurs is a separate violation. Each section, subsection, rule, regulation, order or permit condition which is violated constitutes a separate violation.
(2) 
In addition to any criminal penalties imposed on a person convicted under this section, the person may be enjoined from continuing the violation(s).
B. 
False statements in required documents. A person is guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction, is subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000 per day per violation or imprisonment not to exceed six months per violation, or both, if the person:
(1) 
Knowingly makes any false statement, representation or certification in any application, record, report, plan or other document filed or required to be maintained under the Article or any rule, regulation, order or permit adopted or issued under the Article.
(2) 
Falsifies, tampers with or knowingly renders inaccurate any monitoring device or method required to be maintained under this Article or any rule, regulation, order or permit adopted or issued under this Article.