Section 176.320  Initial Response and Reporting of Confirmed Releases

Initial Response. Upon confirmation of a release of a regulated substance, owners or operators shall perform the following initial response actions:

a)         Immediately report the release.

1)         The release shall be reported by calling the 911 call center and then IEMA in the following situations:

A)        Spills and overfills of petroleum products over 25 gallons and spills and overfills of hazardous substances over a reportable quantity as defined in 41 Ill. Adm. Code 174.100.

B)        Spills, overfills or confirmed releases that present a hazard to life, for example, when observations demonstrate the presence of petroleum or hazardous substance vapors in sewers or basements or free product near utility lines, or where a sheen is present on a body of water.

2)         All other confirmed releases shall be reported to the local authority having jurisdiction and to IEMA. A call to the fire department in whose jurisdiction the release occurred may be done in the absence of an available 911 emergency telephone number. IEMA may be reached at 1-800-782-7860 (from inside Illinois) or 217-782-7860 (from outside Illinois).  If known, the caller shall inform IEMA whether the same release had previously been called in as a suspected release.

3)         A release of a hazardous substance equal to or in excess of the reportable quantity shall be reported to the following entities in addition to those identified in subsection (a)(1):

A)        to the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) that is likely to be affected by the release (found at www.illinois.gov/iema/ Preparedness/SERC/Documents/LEPC_ReleaseReportingContactList.pdf; and

B)        the National Response Center (800-424-8802); 

b)         Take immediate action to prevent any further release of the regulated substance into the environment; and

c)         Immediately identify and mitigate fire, explosion and vapor hazards.

(Source:  Amended at 42 Ill. Reg. 10621, effective October 13, 2018)