If a spill is happening now, fumes are strong, fire or explosion is possible, or people may be in danger, leave the area, call 911, and then report the environmental emergency to the National Response Center (NRC) at 1-800-424-8802. For a fish kill without an immediate threat to life, contact your state fish and wildlife or natural-resources agency and the state environmental or emergency-response agency. Report what you can safely observe; do not touch carcasses, enter vapor or runoff, collect samples, or attempt cleanup.
What to do first when there may be immediate danger
Treat an active chemical release as a life-safety incident, not as a routine environmental complaint. Move away from the release and position yourself upwind or upstream only if you can do so without crossing contaminated ground or water. Keep other people and animals away. From a safe location:
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- Call 911 if there are injuries, breathing problems, strong or irritating fumes, fire, an explosion hazard, an uncontrolled discharge, visible runoff toward people, or another immediate threat.
- After calling 911, call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802. The NRC is the federal intake point for sudden oil and chemical emergencies. Give the dispatcher the location, what you observed, and the hazards responders may face.
- Do not return to look for a better view. Do not approach drums, tanks, pipes, vehicles, dead animals, an oil sheen, unknown liquids, smoke, or vapor clouds.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises that an environmental emergency presenting a sudden threat to public health should be reported to the NRC. Calling 911 does not replace the NRC report: 911 handles immediate life safety and local response, while the NRC distributes the environmental notification to the appropriate federal, state, and local authorities.
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Which agency should receive the report?
The right contact depends on urgency, the kind of incident, your location, and whether you are an observer or the facility responsible for a release. When an incident fits more than one category, make the emergency call first and then notify the other relevant agency.
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| Situation | First contact | Additional contact | What the contact handles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active chemical or oil release, dangerous fumes, fire, explosion risk, or threat to people | 911 | National Response Center: 1-800-424-8802 | Immediate rescue, fire, hazardous-materials response, and federal environmental notification |
| Dead or distressed fish, birds, or other wildlife without an obvious immediate danger to people | State fish, game, wildlife, or natural-resources agency | State environmental or emergency-response agency | Wildlife assessment, fish-kill investigation, water-quality response, and possible field sampling |
| Non-emergency suspected pollution, illegal discharge, or an unknown source | Appropriate local or state environmental agency, or EPA’s environmental-violation reporting route | Local emergency management if the problem is spreading or threatens public services | Regulatory intake, inspection, enforcement referral, and coordination with local authorities |
| Suspected pesticide exposure or pesticide-related fish or wildlife deaths | State pesticide regulator | Product manufacturer; EPA at [email protected] or the National Pesticide Information Center ecological incident portal when appropriate |
Product-specific review, pesticide regulation, and ecological-incident tracking |
State and tribal procedures differ. A state may route fish kills through a department of natural resources, fish and wildlife, environmental protection, or a 24-hour spill hotline. If you do not know which office covers the water body, start with the state fish-and-wildlife or environmental agency and explain that you need the correct reporting channel.
How to make a useful report, step by step
1. Get to a safe observation point
Do not trespass, wade into the water, climb a bank contaminated by runoff, or stand near a suspected source to take a photograph. A public road, bridge, trail, or property where you have permission is preferable. If you smell fumes, move farther away before making notes or calling.
2. Identify the exact location
Give the water body or site name, nearest street address or landmark, access point, county, and state. A GPS pin can help, but do not delay an emergency call to obtain coordinates. Explain whether the observation is upstream or downstream of a bridge, outfall, facility, road, or settlement. If the incident is moving, state the direction and the locations already affected.
3. Record when you saw it
Write down the date and time you first noticed the condition and the time of the call. Say whether it is getting larger, darker, more concentrated, or otherwise changing. If you saw the start of the release, include the approximate start time even if you did not witness its source.
4. Describe observations, not guesses
Use concrete descriptions: an iridescent sheen, milky or colored water, foam, dead or gasping fish, an unusual odor, smoke, a leaking pipe, a tipped container, or a vehicle near the bank. You may identify a product only when its name is visible from a safe distance on a label or in reliable records. Do not open, move, or handle a container to identify it, and do not claim a chemical name based only on smell or color.
5. Estimate the extent
Provide an approximate shoreline length, width of the affected area, distance downstream, number of dead or distressed animals, and species if you can identify them without getting close. It is acceptable to say “about 20 fish along 100 feet of shoreline” or “fish visible in two pools”; an exact count is not required. Note whether people, pets, livestock, irrigation systems, or drinking-water intakes could be affected.
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6. Note conditions that may explain movement
Record recent heavy rain, weather, wind, stream flow, tide, and the upstream and downstream direction when those details are safely observable. These facts help responders distinguish a localized discharge from material moving through a watershed. Never delay a life-safety call to make a complete weather or flow record.
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7. Take safe-distance photographs or video
Images can show the color, sheen, foam, affected shoreline, dead fish, a discharge point, or a container’s label. Stay outside restricted or contaminated areas and do not cross a barrier, enter the water, disturb wildlife, or lean over a bank for a closer angle. Preserve the original files and note when and where each image was taken.
8. Give your contact information and ask about anonymity
Provide your name and a callback number or email so investigators can clarify details. If you are concerned about privacy, ask the receiving agency whether it accepts anonymous reports and how your information will be handled. An anonymous report can still be useful, but a callback often lets responders locate the problem faster.
Reporting a suspected chemical or oil spill
Active releases and unknown substances
Call 911 first when the release is active or dangerous. Examples include liquid flowing from a tank or pipe, a strong solvent or fuel odor, a cloud of vapor, visible runoff toward homes or roads, a fire, or a container that may rupture. Tell dispatch whether anyone is injured, whether the substance is entering a drain or stream, and whether you can see a label from a safe distance.
Then call the NRC at 1-800-424-8802. Explain that you are reporting a suspected environmental emergency, give the location and time, and describe the visible or smelled conditions. The NRC can notify the federal On-Scene Coordinator and other agencies; it does not mean you must determine the chemical, volume, or legal classification yourself.
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For an old stain, recurring odor, intermittent discharge, or suspected illegal outfall that is not an immediate threat, use the appropriate state or local environmental agency or EPA’s environmental-violation reporting route. Include dates, frequency, location, photographs, and any pattern such as “after rain” or “only during business hours.” If the condition becomes active or dangerous, switch to 911 and the NRC rather than waiting for a routine complaint process.
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Oil sheens
A visible sheen can be evidence of an oil discharge that may be harmful. Report it even if you cannot identify the source or estimate the volume. Describe the sheen’s color and size, whether it is moving, and whether it is near a storm drain, stream, wetland, shoreline, or intake. Do not place absorbent material in the water or attempt to skim it unless responders direct and equip you to do so.
How to report a fish kill or distressed wildlife
Start with the state fish-and-wildlife authority
Fish kills should be reported to the state department responsible for fish, game, wildlife, or natural resources. Also notify the state environmental or emergency-response agency, particularly when there is discoloration, odor, foam, a suspected discharge, or a large affected area. These agencies may use different hotlines and may need to coordinate an investigation.
Report a kill even when you do not know whether the cause is chemical pollution, low oxygen, disease, heat, algae, or another natural event. A report gives biologists a chance to compare conditions upstream and downstream and decide whether field work or laboratory testing is warranted. Your role is to document what is visible, not to diagnose the cause.
Describe the animals and pattern
State the approximate number and species, whether fish are dead or merely gasping or swimming erratically, and whether birds, amphibians, mammals, or invertebrates are also affected. Say whether carcasses are concentrated along one bank, distributed throughout a reach, or appearing in isolated pools. Note live fish showing distress and any visible lesions without touching them.
Escalate when the kill threatens people
If people are handling fish, children are playing in the water, pets or livestock are drinking from it, or a chemical odor or active discharge is present, treat the situation as a potential emergency. Move away, keep others out, call 911 for immediate danger, and notify the NRC at 1-800-424-8802.
What to do with a suspected pesticide incident
Pesticides can move through stormwater, irrigation, spray drift, or an accidental release. Notify the state pesticide regulator and, when appropriate, the product manufacturer. EPA accepts ecological-incident information at [email protected]; the National Pesticide Information Center also provides an ecological incident portal.
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Include the product name and EPA registration number if you know them from a label, application record, or other reliable source; the location; date; time; weather or application details you directly observed; and a description of the fish or wildlife effects. Do not handle a container, enter a treated area, or collect dead animals or water. If people are exposed or there is an active release, call 911 before making the pesticide report.
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Prepare the following list while remaining in a safe place. It is better to give a partial, accurate report than to delay while trying to answer every item.
- Where: water body or facility, address or landmark, access point, county and state, and GPS location if available.
- When: first observation, latest observation, and whether the condition is changing.
- What: sheen, color, foam, odor, smoke, runoff, dead or distressed animals, discharge pipe, container, or vehicle.
- How much: approximate affected length or area, number of animals, and distance the material has traveled.
- Who or what may be affected: people, pets, livestock, drinking-water intakes, irrigation, public beaches, or downstream communities.
- Conditions: rain, wind, tide, stream flow, and upstream or downstream direction.
- Possible source: only information observed safely, such as a labeled container, facility, outfall, or vehicle; do not speculate beyond what you know.
- Evidence: photographs or video from a safe distance, with the time and location recorded.
- Callback: your name and reliable contact details, or a request for anonymous reporting if the agency offers it.
What not to do
- Do not touch or move dead fish, birds, mammals, containers, drums, or contaminated debris.
- Do not walk through vapor, smoke, runoff, discolored water, or an area marked off by responders.
- Do not taste water, wash equipment in the stream, or let pets or livestock drink from it.
- Do not collect water, sediment, fish, tissue, or containers unless trained personnel specifically instruct you and provide the equipment and chain-of-custody procedure.
- Do not attempt to neutralize, absorb, burn, dam, or clean up a release.
- Do not post a suspected chemical identity as fact when it is only an assumption based on color or odor.
EPA guidance says dead or poisoned animals should not be touched or disturbed and that rescue should be attempted only by trained personnel. Keeping the scene undisturbed also protects evidence and reduces the chance that you become another person requiring rescue.
What happens after you report
An emergency dispatcher may send fire, hazardous-materials, law-enforcement, or medical responders and may ask you to remain available by phone. The NRC records the report and distributes it to agencies with jurisdiction. State wildlife and environmental officials may request photographs, ask about upstream and downstream conditions, inspect the site, collect authorized samples, or issue public-health or fishing advisories.
Routine complaints can be routed to a local inspector or state program rather than producing an immediate field visit. Keep your report number, the date and time of each call, and copies of photographs or written notes. If the condition worsens, spreads, or begins threatening people, make a new emergency report; do not assume a previous routine complaint will trigger an emergency response.
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The public can report a release without knowing its cause, quantity, or legal status. Do not try to calculate a federal reportable quantity before calling. EPA states that responsible parties must report oil discharges that may be harmful, including a visible sheen, and releases of hazardous substances at or above applicable federal reportable quantities. States may impose additional requirements.
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Facilities covered by Section 304 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) must immediately notify the applicable State or Tribal Emergency Response Commission and Local or Tribal Emergency Planning Committee for qualifying releases. They generally must submit a written follow-up within 30 days, subject to state deadlines and other requirements. Those obligations apply to regulated facilities and responsible parties, not to a bystander who happens to see the event.
If you work for a facility that may be responsible, follow your emergency plan and facility reporting procedures while making the required notifications. If you are an observer, report promptly and describe what you know; leave the legal classification and quantity determination to the responsible party and agencies.
Choosing between federal, state, tribal, and local contacts
Jurisdiction follows the incident as well as the geography. A spill in a river crossing state lines may involve state agencies, a tribal authority, and federal responders. A fish kill on tribal lands may require the relevant Tribal environmental or natural-resources authority. A discharge into a municipal storm drain may also require the city or county public-works or emergency-management office.
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Common situations and the correct response
| What you see | Response |
|---|---|
| A tanker is leaking near a road, fumes are strong, or people are coughing | Move away, call 911, then call the NRC at 1-800-424-8802. Do not approach the vehicle or read its placard up close. |
| A rainbow sheen is spreading from a storm drain into a creek | If it is active or threatening people, call 911 and the NRC. Otherwise report it to the state or local environmental agency and describe the drain, sheen, movement, and photographs from a safe distance. |
| Dozens of dead fish are along a lake shoreline, with no fumes or visible spill | Contact the state fish-and-wildlife or natural-resources agency and the state environmental agency. Record species, approximate number, shoreline length, date, weather, and photos without touching the fish. |
| Fish are gasping below a farm or industrial outfall | Report the distressed fish and suspected discharge to state wildlife and environmental officials. If the discharge is active, dangerous, or has a strong odor, escalate to 911 and the NRC. |
| A pesticide container is overturned near a ditch | Stay away, keep people and animals out, call 911 for an active or hazardous release, then notify the state pesticide regulator. Use the manufacturer and EPA pesticide ecological-incident channels when appropriate; do not move the container. |
| An odor appears every week but there is no immediate hazard | Keep a dated log and photographs from a safe location, then file a non-emergency report with the local or state environmental agency or EPA’s environmental-violation route. Report again as an emergency if conditions change. |
A compact checklist before you end the call
- Did you state whether anyone is injured or in immediate danger?
- Did you give the exact location, access point, and direction of flow or movement?
- Did you provide the observation time and describe whether conditions are changing?
- Did you estimate the affected area and number or species of wildlife?
- Did you identify any people, pets, livestock, or drinking-water intakes at risk?
- Did you explain what you actually saw or smelled without guessing the chemical?
- Did you mention safe-distance photographs and provide a callback number or request anonymity?
- Did you write down the agency, time of report, and any incident or referral number?
Prompt, location-specific facts let emergency crews and environmental investigators act without putting you or other bystanders in additional danger.
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