Virginia Law

A. An owner or operator may satisfy the requirements of this chapter by obtaining a surety bond that conforms to the requirements of this section and by submitting an originally signed duplicate of the bond to the department. The surety company issuing the bond shall be licensed to operate as a surety in the Commonwealth of Virginia and be among those listed as acceptable sureties on federal bonds in the latest Circular 570 of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

B. The surety bond shall be on surety company letterhead and worded as follows, except that instructions in parentheses shall be replaced with the relevant information and the parentheses deleted.

PERFORMANCE BOND

Date bond executed: _____________

Period of coverage: _____________

Effective date: _____________

Principal: (legal name and address of owner or operator) _____________

Type of organization: (insert "individual" "joint venture," "partnership," "corporation," or appropriate identification of type of organization) _____________

State of incorporation (if applicable): _____________

Surety: (name(s) and business address) _____________

Scope of Coverage:

(List the name of and the address where the private sewage treatment facility assured by this mechanism is located. List the coverage guaranteed by the bond: operation, maintenance, and closure of the privately owned sewage treatment facility)

Penal sum of bond: $ _____________

Surety's bond number: _____________

Know All Persons by These Presents, that we, the Principal and Surety(ies), hereto are firmly bound to the Department of Environmental Quality, Commonwealth of Virginia, ("DEQ") in the above penal sum for the payment of which we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors, administrators, successors, and assigns jointly and severally; provided that, where the Surety(ies) are corporations acting as co-sureties, we, the Sureties, bind ourselves in such sums jointly and severally only for the purpose of allowing a joint action or actions against any or all of us, and for all other purposes each Surety binds itself, jointly and severally with the Principal, for the payment of such sums only as is set forth opposite the name of such Surety, but if no limit of liability is indicated, the limit of liability shall be the full amount of the penal sum.

Whereas said Principal is required under § 62.1-44.18:3 of the State Water Control Law of the Code of Virginia to provide financial assurance to implement a plan to abate, control, prevent, remove, or contain any substantial or imminent threat to public health or the environment that is reasonably likely to occur if such facility ceases operations (closure plan);

Now, therefore, the conditions of the obligation are such that if the Principal shall faithfully implement the closure plan in accordance with the Director of the DEQ's instructions to implement the plan for the facility described above, or if the Principal shall provide alternate financial assurance, acceptable to DEQ and obtain the Director's written approval of such assurance, within 60 days after the date the notice of cancellation is received by the Director of the DEQ from the Surety(ies), then this obligation shall be null and void; otherwise it is to remain in full force and effect.

The Surety(ies) shall become liable on this bond when the Principal has failed to fulfill the conditions described above. Upon notification by the Director of the DEQ that the owner or operator has failed to fulfill the conditions above or that the DEQ has determined that the facility has ceased operations, the Surety(ies) shall either implement the closure plan or forfeit the full amount of the penal sum as directed by the Director of the DEQ under 9VAC25-650-140.

The liability of the Surety(ies) shall not be discharged by any payment or succession of payments hereunder, unless and until such payment or payments shall amount in the penal sum shown on the face of the bond, but in no event shall the obligation of the Surety(ies) hereunder exceed the amount of said penal sum.

The Surety(ies) may cancel the bond by sending notice of cancellation by certified mail to the Principal and to the Director of the DEQ, Commonwealth of Virginia, 1111 East Main Street, Suite 1400, Richmond, Virginia 23219, provided, however, that cancellation shall not occur (1) during the 120 days beginning on the date of receipt of the notice of cancellation by the Principal and Director of the DEQ as shown on the signed return receipt; or (2) while a compliance procedure is pending.

In Witness Thereof, the Principal and Surety(ies) have executed this Bond and have affixed their seals on the date set forth above.

The persons whose signatures appear below hereby certify that they are authorized to execute this surety bond on behalf of the Principal and Surety(ies) and that the wording of this surety bond is identical to the wording specified in 9VAC25-650-100 B as such regulations were constituted on the date this bond was executed.

PRINCIPAL

(Signature(s))

(Name(s))

(Title(s))

(Corporate seal)

CORPORATE SURETY(IES)

(Name and address)

State of Incorporation:

Liability limit: $ _______________

(Signature(s))

(Name(s) and title(s))

(Corporate seal)

(For every co-surety, provide signature(s), corporate seal, and other information in the same manner as for Surety above.)

Bond premium: $ ______________

C. Under the terms of the bond, the surety will become liable on the bond obligation when the owner or operator fails to perform as guaranteed by the bond.

D. The bond shall guarantee that the owner or operator or any other authorized person will:

1. Implement the closure plan in accordance with the approved closure plan and other requirements in any permit for the facility;

2. Implement the closure plan following an order to do so issued by the department or by a court.

E. The surety bond shall guarantee that the owner or operator shall provide alternate financial assurance as specified in this part within 60 days after receipt by the department of a notice of cancellation of the bond from the surety.

F. If the approved cost estimate increases to an amount greater than the amount of the penal sum of the bond, the owner or operator shall, within 60 days after the increase, cause the penal sum of the bond to be increased to an amount at least equal to the new estimate or obtain other financial assurance, as specified in this part to cover the increase. Whenever the cost estimate decreases, the penal sum may be reduced to the amount of the cost estimate following written approval by the department. Notice of an increase or decrease in the penal sum shall be sent to the department by certified mail within 60 days after the change.

G. The bond shall remain in force for its term unless the surety sends written notice of cancellation by certified mail to the owner or operator and to the department. Cancellation cannot occur, however:

1. During the 120 days beginning on the date of receipt of the notice of cancellation by the department as shown on the signed return receipt; or

2. While an enforcement procedure is pending.

H. The surety shall provide written notification to the department by certified mail no less than 120 days prior to the expiration date of the bond, that the bond will expire and the date the bond will expire.

I. In regard to implementation of a closure plan either by the owner or operator, by an authorized third party, or by the surety, proper implementation of a closure plan shall be deemed to have occurred when the department determines that the closure plan has been completed. Such implementation shall be deemed to have been completed when the provisions of the facility's approved closure plan have been executed and the provisions of any other permit requirements or enforcement orders relative to the closure plan have been complied with.