How To Report A Spill

When to report a spill

You are responsible for the immediate cleanup of your spill, regardless of the quantity involved. The responsibility lies with the person who spills the product, as well as the person owning or having authority over the oil or hazardous material.

Reportable spills include:

• any amount of oil to waters of the state;
• oil spills on land in excess of 42 gallons;
• hazardous materials that are equal to, or greater than, the quantity listed in the Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Part 302 (List of Hazardous Substances and Reportable Quantities), and amendments adopted before July 1, 2002.

Who to call when you’ve had a spill.

• The Oregon Emergency Response System – 1-800-452-0311, and
• The National Response Center: 1-800-424-8802

To the best of your ability, please be ready with the following information:

• Where is the spill?
• What spilled?
• How much spilled?
• How concentrated is the spilled material?
• Who spilled the material?
• Is anyone cleaning up the spill?
• Are there resource damages (e.g. dead fish or oiled birds)?
• Who is reporting the spill?
• How can we get back to you?

Once the spill has been reported and cleanup is underway and/or completed, you may receive a letter from DEQ requesting a completed spill/release report form detailing the spill, your efforts to stop the spread of the spill, cleanup and dispose of the waste. A hard copy of the report and all supporting documents should be mailed to the DEQ regional office specified in the request letter.

• Spill/Release Report Form PDF

[print version]