Article 2.5. Administrative Civil Liability of California Water Code >> Division 7. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 2.5.

(a) Any executive officer of a regional board may issue a complaint to any person on whom administrative civil liability may be imposed pursuant to this article. The complaint shall allege the act or failure to act that constitutes a violation of law, the provision of law authorizing civil liability to be imposed pursuant to this article, and the proposed civil liability.
  (b) The complaint shall be served by certified mail or in accordance with Article 3 (commencing with Section 415.10) of, and Article 4 (commencing with Section 416.10) of, Chapter 4 of Title 5 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and shall inform the party so served that a hearing before the regional board shall be conducted within 90 days after the party has been served. The person who has been issued a complaint may waive the right to a hearing.
  (c) In proceedings under this article for imposition of administrative civil liability by the state board, the executive director of the state board shall issue the complaint and any hearing shall be before the state board, or before a member of the state board in accordance with Section 183, and shall be conducted not later than 90 days after the party has been served.
  (d) Orders imposing administrative civil liability shall become effective and final upon issuance thereof, and are not subject to review by any court or agency except as provided by Sections 13320 and 13330. Payment shall be made not later than 30 days from the date on which the order is issued. The time for payment is extended during the period in which a person who is subject to an order seeks review under Section 13320 or 13330. Copies of these orders shall be served by certified mail or in accordance with Article 3 (commencing with Section 415.10) of, and Article 4 (commencing with Section 416.10) of, Chapter 4 of Title 5 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure upon the party served with the complaint and shall be provided to other persons who appeared at the hearing and requested a copy.
  (e) Information relating to hearing waivers and the imposition of administrative civil liability, as proposed to be imposed and as finally imposed, under this section shall be made available to the public by means of the Internet.

No person shall be subject to both civil liability imposed under this article and civil liability imposed by the superior court under Articles 5 (commencing with Section 13350) and 6 (commencing with Section 13360) for the same act or failure to act.

In determining the amount of civil liability, the regional board, and the state board upon review of any order pursuant to Section 13320, shall take into consideration the nature, circumstance, extent, and gravity of the violation or violations, whether the discharge is susceptible to cleanup or abatement, the degree of toxicity of the discharge, and, with respect to the violator, the ability to pay, the effect on ability to continue in business, any voluntary cleanup efforts undertaken, any prior history of violations, the degree of culpability, economic benefit or savings, if any, resulting from the violation, and other matters as justice may require.

After the time for judicial review under Section 13330 has expired, the state board may apply to the clerk of the appropriate court in the county in which the civil liability or penalty was imposed, for a judgment to collect the civil liability or penalty. The application, which shall include a certified copy of the state board or regional board action, constitutes a sufficient showing to warrant issuance of the judgment. The court clerk shall enter the judgment immediately in conformity with the application. The judgment so entered has the same force and effect as, and is subject to all the provisions of law relating to, a judgment in a civil action, and may be enforced in the same manner as any other judgment of the court in which it is entered.