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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>72173</law_id><section_number>62.1-194.1</section_number><catch_line>Obstructing or contaminating state waters</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>19.2-8</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="62.1">Waters of the State, Ports and Harbors</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="20">Miscellaneous Offenses</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Except as otherwise permitted by <span class="dictionary">law</span>, it shall be unlawful for any person to dump, place or put, or cause to be dumped, placed or put into, upon the banks of or into the channels of any state waters any <span class="dictionary">object</span> or substance, noxious or otherwise, which may reasonably be expected to endanger, obstruct, impede, contaminate or substantially impair the lawful use or enjoyment of such waters and their environs by others. Any person who violates any provision of this <span class="dictionary">law</span> shall be guilty of a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>. Each day that any of said <span class="dictionary">materials</span> or substances so dumped, placed or put, or caused to be dumped, placed or put into, upon the banks of or into the channels of, said streams shall constitute a separate <span class="dictionary">offense</span> and be punished as such. <a id="paragraph-260003" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/62.1-194.1/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> In addition to the foregoing penalties for violation of this <span class="dictionary">law</span>, the <span class="dictionary">judge</span> of the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> of the locality wherein any such violation occurs, whether there be a criminal <span class="dictionary">conviction</span> therefor or not shall, upon a complaint filed by the attorney of such locality or by any person whose property is damaged or whose property is threatened with damage from any such violation, award an <span class="dictionary">injunction</span> enjoining any violation of this <span class="dictionary">law</span> by any person found by the <span class="dictionary">court</span> in such suit to have violated this <span class="dictionary">law</span> or causing the same to be violated, when made a <span class="dictionary">party</span> <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> to such suit. <a id="paragraph-260004" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/62.1-194.1/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1968, c. 659; 2007, c. 26.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
