Spill Release Reporting
HAZMAT SPILL NOTIFICATIONS CALL THE STATE WARNING CENTER 1-800-852-7550
In California, any significant release or threatened release of a hazardous material requires immediate reporting by the responsible person to the Cal OES State Warning Center (800) 852-7550 and the Unified Program Agency (UPA) or 911. The UPA may designate a call to 911 as meeting the requirement to call them.
View contact information for your jurisdiction’s UPA by searching the entire Directory or UPA Listing sorted by County.
Notifying the State Warning Center (800) 852-7550 and the UPA or 911 constitutes compliance with the requirements of section 11004 of title 42 of the United States Code regarding verbal notification of the SERC and LEPC (California Code of Regulations, Title 19 Section 2631 (e).
Introduction
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensations, and Liability Act (CERCLA), Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and California law require responsible parties to report hazardous material releases if certain criteria is met.
CERCLA requires that all releases of hazardous substances (including radionuclides) exceeding reportable quantities be reported by the responsible party to the National Response Center (800) 424-8802. Additionally, CERCLA provides a reduced reporting requirement for continuous releases of hazardous substances that exceed the Reportable Quantity (RQ). Notification of continuous releases that equal or exceed the RQ need only be given once, with one follow-up report on the first anniversary of the initial report, following the continuous release reporting process. Thereafter only “statistically significant increases” need be reported. The purpose of the continuous release mechanism is to reduce unnecessary release notifications for releases of hazardous substances.
If an accidental chemical release exceeds the EPCRA applicable minimal reportable quantity, the facility must notify State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) and Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) for any area likely to be affected by the release and the National Response Center (800) 424-8802, and provide a detailed written follow-up as soon as practicable. Information about accidental chemical releases must be made available to the public.
​Spill Release / Reporting Essential Documents
Listed below are various guidance documents available for download that will enhance your knowledge regarding spill notification and the types of releases that are reportable. View the Spill Reporting Database.
HazMat – Spill Release Reporting
Spill Release Archive Files
This section contains spreadsheet files that list all spills called in to the Cal OES Warning Center for a specific year. For greatest compatibility, these files have been saved in Microsoft Excel “97-2003 (xls)” format.
*** These files are updated/uploaded on a monthly basis. ***
HazMat – Spill Release Reporting Archive
2022 – HazMat Spill Reports Data through 8/2/2022
2021 – HazMat Spill Reports Data
​Laws and Regulations
Listed below are the State and Federal Laws and Regulations that affect Spill Release /Â Reporting:
State Statute:Â Health and Safety Code Section 25510
State Regulation:Â Title 19, California Code of Regulations, Division 2, Chapter 4, Article 2
Federal Statute: United States Code, Title 42, Section 9602, 9603, and 11004
Federal Regulation: Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 302 and 355