Montana Code Annotated 2023

TITLE 75. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

CHAPTER 5. WATER QUALITY

Part 6. Enforcement, Appeal, and Penalties

Cleanup Orders

75-5-601. Cleanup orders. (1) The department may issue an order to a person to clean up any material that the person or the person's employee, agent, or subcontractor has accidentally or purposely dumped, spilled, or otherwise deposited in or near state waters and that may pollute state waters.

(2) If a unit of state or local government, including but not limited to a local board of health, county commission, governing body of a municipality, or state agency, has granted a permit or license to a person to discharge waste or has otherwise authorized an activity that involves the placement of waste and the department has reason to believe that the waste is causing or is likely to cause pollution of state waters, the department may issue an order to the unit of state or local government to take measures to ensure that the wastes causing or likely to cause the pollution are cleaned up.

(3) The department may include in an order issued to a county commission pursuant to subsection (2) a request that the commission create a sewer district in the geographic area affected by the order for the purpose of establishing a public sewer system in accordance with the petition and election procedures provided by 7-13-2204 and 7-13-2208 through 7-13-2214.

History: En. Sec. 7, Ch. 21, L. 1971; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 506, L. 1973; amd. Sec. 63, Ch. 349, L. 1974; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 455, L. 1975; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 444, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 69-4809.1(1)(f); amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 292, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 297, L. 1995.