The Georgia Oil or Hazardous Material Spills or Releases Act (O.C.G.A. 12-14-1 et seq.), requires that all reportable spills must be immediately reported to the DNR Emergency Operations Center at 800-241-4113 or 404-656-4863.
Any spill which is reportable in Georgia must also be reported to the federal National Response Center (NRC) at 1-800-424-8802.
A spill is reportable if it is:
- a spill of a hazardous substance above the reportable quantity listed in 40 CFR 302.4 (PDF – 261 KB)
- a spill of a petroleum product which reaches the waters of the state (including streams, rivers, storm sewers, and drainage ditches) and causes a sheen
Overview:
Definitions:
Oil: includes but is not limited to gasoline, crude oil, fuel oil, diesel oil, lubricating oil, sludge, oil refuse, oil mixed with wastes, and any other petroleum related product.
Reportable quantity: the amount of a hazardous substance which, if released into the environment in such quantity within any 24 hour period, must be reported to the division in the event of a spill or release. The reportable quantity for mixtures is the amount of the hazardous substance components of a mixture.
Spill or release: the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, emitting, releasing, leaking, or placing of any hazardous substance into the air or into or on any land or water of the state, except from an underground storage tank and all plumbing and piping relating thereto or except high-level or low-level radioactive waste from a federally licensed nuclear facility or as authorized by state or federal laws or a permit from the division. This term shall also mean the discharge of oils into waters of this state which will cause a significant film or sheen upon or discoloration of the surface of such waters or adjoining shorelines or cause a sludge or emulsion to be deposited beneath the surface of such waters or upon adjoining shorelines. Accidental discharges of oil made by an individual during maintenance of that individual’s personal vehicle or farm machinery shall be exempt.
Requirements:
All reportable spills in Georgia must be immediately reported to the State Operations Center at (404) 656-4300 (Atlanta area) or (800) 241-4113 (state-wide number).
A release of chemicals listed in 40 CFR 350, Appendix A, must be reported to the NRC, the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) and the Local Emergency Planning Committee of any area affected by the release. In Georgia, reports to SERC are filed through EPD’s Emergency Operations Center.
You are responsible for clean-up of spilled materials, even if the spill is not a reportable incident.
Regulations:
Georgia Oil or Hazardous Material Spills or Releases Act
40 CFR Part 302 – Designation, Reportable Quantities, and Notification
40 CFR Part 350, Appendix A – The List of Extremely Hazardous Substances and their Threshold Planning Quantities (PDF – 100KB)
Other Resources:
For more information on spill reporting or clean-up, contact the EPD Emergency Response Program at 404-656-6905.
Environmental Releases – Look up environmental emergency incidents reported to the Emergency Response Team. Spills can be searched by date, facility, location, city, county, waterway, or material spilled.
The Georgia Environmental Deskbook 