The Department of Environmental Quality monitors and enforces regulated facilities’ compliance with environmental laws and regulations to control or prevent the release of contaminants into the environment that may have negative effects on the public’s health. Regulated facilities include power plants, wastewater treatment plants, dry cleaners, construction equipment, and other portable pollution sources. Although the Department monitors compliance by conducting inspections of regulated facilities, it can more effectively protect public health and the environment by targeting inspections of facilities based on risk. Additionally, the Department needs to take more consistent, timely, and effective enforcement actions.

The purpose of this handbook is to promote appropriate, consistent, and timely evaluations of compliance and initiation of enforcement by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. This handbook describes a uniform system for pursuing and escalating enforcement. It serves as a road map for new ADEQ compliance and enforcement staff, and a desk reference for those with more experience. It also provides guidance to those local authorities that have undertaken compliance and enforcement responsibilities through a delegation agreement with ADEQ. All of the concepts within ADEQ’s Compliance and Enforcement Policy, along with a number of other ADEQ compliance and enforcement related policies, have been incorporated into this handbook either explicitly or through the development of boilerplate.