Hazardous Materials/Petroleum Spills (SWO Incidents)

The current Emergency Planning and Community Right-to Know Act (EPCRA) Section 304 (Emergency Notification) requires facilities to notify the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) housed under Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) and the Local Emergency Planning Commission (LEPC) if there is a release into the environment of an EPCRA extremely hazardous substance (EHS) or CERCLA hazardous substance (HS) that is equal to or exceeds minimum reportable quantities.

On Oct. 23, 2018, the America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) was signed into law. Section 2018 of this new legislation amended the current EPCRA Section 304 requiring the reported release information that has the potential to affect their source water be made available to community water systems.  

Once the SERC receives such notification, they must notify the Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Drinking Water Program of the EHS or HS. Reportable releases are those that exceed the established reportable quantities within a 24-hour period.

The State Watch Office (SWO) Spills Incidents are collected and maintained in an ArcGIS Online (AGO) Feature Layer that is hosted in the Florida DEM AGO organizational account.

The Hazardous Materials/Petroleum Spills (SWO Incidents) app below was developed by FDEM to share with Florida DEP to inform the public about Hazardous Materials/Petroleum Spills that have occurred in the State of Florida in response to the EPCRA.

*For full map capabilities, please use Chrome browser. 

Helpful Links

• America Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA) adopted legislation.
• EPA AWIA Section 2018 Factsheet for Water Sector.
• EPA Frequently Asked Questions about AWIA Section 2018.