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ALABAMA COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS
OCTOBER TERM, 2012-2013

2110410 Alabama Department o f Environmental Management and Alabama Environmental Management Commission v. F r i e n d s o f Hurricane Creek and John Wathen 2110411 SDW, Inc. v. F r i e n d s o f Hurricane Creek and John Wathen Appeals from Montgomery C i r c u i t (CV-09-1320) PITTMAN, Judge. 1 Court

2110410 a n d 2110411 These two c o n s o l i d a t e d a p p e a l s o f t h e Montgomery C i r c u i t C o u r t of H u r r i c a n e are taken from a judgment that the Friends

determining

C r e e k ("FOHC") a n d J o h n Wathen have s t a n d i n g t o o f an o r d e r entered by the ("the

seek ( a ) a d m i n i s t r a t i v e r e v i e w Alabama Department of

Environmental

Management

Department") a s s e s s i n g monetary s a n c t i o n s ("the developer"), a residential developer

a g a i n s t SDW, I n c . that purportedly

discharged

c e r t a i n m a t e r i a l s i n t o an unnamed t r i b u t a r y ( " t h e Creek, a body o f w a t e r t h a t review o f an flows order

t r i b u t a r y " ) of Cottondale into Hurricane

C r e e k ; and ( b ) j u d i c i a l

entered ("the

by t h e Alabama E n v i r o n m e n t a l

Management

Commission of the The this

Commission") d e c l i n i n g request

t o address

the merits

administrative-review circuit court's court's decision

made b y FOHC a n d Wathen. on remand of from

judgment

was e n t e r e d

i n Alabama

Department

Environmental

Management v. F r i e n d s o f H u r r i c a n e

C r e e k , 71 So. 3d 673 ( A l a .

C i v . App. 2 0 1 1 ) ; t h a t o p i n i o n s u m m a r i z e s much o f t h e p e r t i n e n t f a c t u a l and l e g a l background:

"Under Alabama law, t h e Department i s t h e s t a t e agency primarily responsible f o r administering environmental legislation, i n c l u d i n g t h e Alabama W a t e r P o l l u t i o n C o n t r o l A c t , A l a . Code 1975,

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