Under the Environmental Protection Act, any release of a substance into the environment that has caused, is causing, or may cause an adverse effect, must be reported.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, pollution reports are generally reported to the 24-hour Environmental Emergency Hotline (1-800-563-9089) which is operated jointly by Environment Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Provincial Government. Once a pollution event is reported, it is screened to determine jurisdictional responsibility, and the appropriate agencies respond.
Through a Memorandum-of-Understanding, the Department of Environment, Conservation and Climate Change (ECC) has authorized the Department of Government Services (GS) to act on its behalf with respect to the investigation and enforcement of environmental occurrences within the jurisdiction of the Provincial Government.
When a release of a substance occurs, an Environmental Protection Officer determines the person responsible for the contaminated site. That person is then required to rehabilitate the environment to an appropriate standard.
Where a release is deemed to be of sufficient risk to the environment or human health, the person responsible may be required to complete an environmental assessment and follow the Guidance Document for the Management of Impacted Sites.
Any release of a substance that falls under provincial jurisdiction is recorded in a database maintained by GS to track the following information:
- Date of Incident – the date (or estimated date) that a release originally occurred
- Regional Location – the area of the province where a release occurred
- Product Type – the category of substance that was released into the environment
- Volume Released – the total known or potential volume of the substance released
- Source of Spill– the origin of the release (fuel storage, motor vehicle, transformer, etc.)
- Type of Spill – the nature of the release (spill, leak, intentional discharge, etc.)
- Cause of Spill – primary cause of the release (equipment failure, overfill, vandalism, etc.)
- Polluter Category – classification of the polluter (private citizen, municipality, oil company, trucking company, etc.)
Registration reports will be generated from this database and posted on a quarterly basis.
Environmental Occurrence Reports