Report a spill of oil or hazardous materials

All oil and hazardous materials spills cause environmental damage. The sooner a spill is reported, the quicker it can be addressed, resulting in less harm.

How to report a spill

How you report a spill depends on if you saw the spill, or are responsible for the spill.

General public
If you spill

If you see a spill in water, report it by calling 1-800-OILS-911 (Washington Emergency Management Division, 24/7).

You can also use this phone number to report spills to land or air. During regular business hours, you can call the appropriate Ecology regional office.

Spills of oil or hazardous materials to water must be reported immediately to help reduce impacts to the environment. Failure to report a spill you're responsible for could result in penalties.

If a spill occurs

Stop the spill and warn others in the area immediately.
Shut off any ignition sources, including cigarettes.
Contain the spill.
Report the spill immediately to BOTH:
- 1-800-258-5990 (Washington Emergency Management Division)
- 1-800-424-8802 (National Response Center)

There are no penalties for reporting a spill unnecessarily, but there may be significant penalties for not reporting one.

Reporting different types of spills

Type of spill	Reporting requirements	Required contacts
Oil and hazardous substance spills to water	Report it immediately.	The National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802 Washington Emergency Management Division at 1-800-258-5990
Release of hazardous or extremely hazardous substance	Report it immediately. See full EPCRA reporting requirements.	The State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) at 1-800-258-5990 Your Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) The National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802
Dangerous waste	Report it immediately.	Call 911 Notify the appropriate Ecology regional office
Leaking underground storage tanks	Report within 24 hours.	Notify the appropriate Ecology regional office
Oil spills to ground	Report within 90 days. Oil industry contingency plan holders may have different reporting timeframes designated by their contingency plans.	Notify the appropriate Ecology regional office
Spills to air	Report within 90 days.	Notify the appropriate Ecology regional office

Contact information

Report spills to water immediately by calling 1-800-258-5990.

If you spill, you must also call 1-800-424-8802.

Were you able to find what you were looking for today?*:	Yes No Not sure
What were you trying to find?*:
Please describe your experience. What was challenging? What was helpful? *:	Please include details that will help us address any issues you're reporting.
Which webpage(s) are you commenting on? *:	Please provide the page title or address (URL).
Was the search tool helpful to you? *:	Yes No I didn't use Search.
How can we improve our website?:	Optional. If you have suggestions, we'd like to hear them!
Your name:	Please include contact information if you'd like a reply.
Email:	If you’d like a reply, please provide an email address.
Phone number:	( ) - Second three digits Last four digits If you’d like us to call you, please provide a phone number.
Which best describes your role in visiting our site today?*:	Business / Consultant / Contractor Government - Local Government - State Government - Federal Government - Tribal Scientist / Researcher Non-profit Citizen / Resident / Public Educator Student Job seeker Ecology employee
PleaseLeaveBlank:	Are you a robot? If not, please do not enter anything in this field.
	ignore
	ignore

Report a spill of oil or hazardous materials

How to report a spill

If a spill occurs

Reporting different types of spills

Related links

Contact information