§ 2964a. Spring or artesian water; labels

(a) A bottler of spring or artesian water may apply to the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets for a specially designated identification label to indicate that the water originated and was bottled in Vermont and that it complies with any quality requirements adopted by the Agency. The bottler requesting the labels shall annually pay a minimum fee of $20.00 and the cost of all labels requested. The bottler shall also obtain approval from the Department of Environmental Conservation under 10 V.S.A. § 1673 to qualify for a label under this subsection.

(b) The labels provided for in this section shall be designed and issued by the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and shall not be similar to the labels issued under section 2964 of this title.

(c) Funds received under this section shall be retained by the Agency for administration of this section in accordance with the provisions of 32 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 7, subchapter 5.

(d) A person who fraudulently utilizes the labels issued under this section, who willingly allows another to use the labels fraudulently, or who applies the labels to water that does not meet quality standards adopted by the Secretary shall be fined not more than $500.00 for each offense. In the case of a continuing violation, each day the offense continues shall constitute a separate offense, with the maximum amount of fine assessed not to exceed $10,000.00 per violation. (Added 1993, No. 47, § 1; amended 2003, No. 42, § 2, eff. May 27, 2003.)