65-171v. Cleanup operations for water or soil pollutants; duties of secretary; recovery of costs by attorney general and disposition thereof.
Whenever a water or soil pollutant is discharged intentionally, accidentally or inadvertently and the secretary of health and environment or the secretary's authorized representative determines that the discharged material must be collected, retained or rendered innocuous, and if a discharger refuses to undertake cleanup operations or if the responsible discharger is unknown at the time, the secretary or the secretary's authorized representative may enter into an agreement with a person to conduct the necessary cleanup operations with payment for such cleanup work to be provided from the pollutant discharge cleanup fund. Any person responsible for or causing the discharge of materials which are determined necessary to cleanup under the provisions of this act shall be responsible for repayment of the costs of cleanup work upon reasonably detailed notification by the secretary or the secretary's authorized representative. If the responsible person fails to promptly submit payment for costs of the cleanup operations when so notified, such payment shall be recoverable in an action brought by the attorney general on behalf of the people of the state of Kansas in the district court of the county in which such costs were incurred. Any moneys recovered under this section shall be remitted to the state treasurer in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 75-4215, and amendments thereto. Upon receipt of each such remittance, the state treasurer shall deposit the entire amount in the state treasury to the credit of the pollutant discharge cleanup fund.
History: L. 1979, ch. 269, § 2; L. 2001, ch. 5, § 213; July 1.