In addition to proceeding under any other remedy available at law or in equity for a violation of a provision of this act, rule, regulation, order of the department, or a condition of any permit issued pursuant to this act, the department may assess a civil penalty upon a person or municipality for such violation. Such a penalty may be assessed whether or not the violation was willful. The civil penalty so assessed shall not exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) per day for each violation. In determining the amount of the civil penalty the department shall consider the wilfulness of the violation, damage or injury to the lands or to the waters of the Commonwealth or their uses, cost of restoration and other relevant factors. If the violation leads to the issuance of a cessation order, a civil penalty shall be assessed. If the violation involves the failure to correct, within the period prescribed for its correction, a violation for which a cessation order, other abatement order or notice of violation has been issued, a civil penalty of not less than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) shall be assessed for each day the violation continues beyond the period prescribed for its correction: Provided, however, That correction of a violation within the period prescribed for its correction shall not preclude assessment of a penalty for the violation. When the department proposes to assess a civil penalty, the secretary shall inform the person or municipality within a period of time to be prescribed by rule and regulation of the proposed amount of said penalty. The person or municipality charged with the penalty shall then have thirty (30) days to pay the proposed penalty in full or, if the person or municipality wishes to contest either the amount of the penalty or the fact of the violation, forward the proposed amount to the secretary for placement in an escrow account with the State Treasurer or any Pennsylvania bank, or post an appeal bond in the amount of the proposed penalty, such bond shall be executed by a surety licensed to do business in the Commonwealth and be satisfactory to the department. If through administrative or judicial review of the proposed penalty, it is determined that no violation occurred, or that the amount of the penalty shall be reduced, the secretary shall within thirty (30) days remit the appropriate amount to the person or municipality, with any interest accumulated by the escrow deposit. Failure to forward the money or the appeal bond to the secretary within thirty (30) days shall result in a waiver of all legal rights to contest the violation or the amount of the penalty. The amount assessed after administrative hearing or after waiver of administrative hearing shall be payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and shall be collectible in any manner provided at law for the collection of debts. If any person liable to pay any such penalty neglects or refuses to pay the same after demand, the amount, together with interest and any costs that may accrue, shall constitute a judgment in favor of the Commonwealth upon the property, or such person from the date it has been entered and docketed of record by the prothonotary of the county where such is situated. The department may, at any time, transmit to the prothonotaries of the respective counties certified copies of all such judgments, and it shall be the duty of each prothonotary to enter and docket the same of record in his office, and to index it as judgments are indexed, without requiring the payment of costs as a condition precedent to the entry thereof. Any other provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, there shall be a statute of limitations of five (5) years upon actions brought by the Commonwealth pursuant to this section.