Kentucky
Environmental emergencies and spill reports
In Kentucky, spills and releases are reported to the Emergency Response Branch (ERB) of the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (DEP), through its environmental emergency hotline, 1-800-928-2380 or 502-564-2380, which takes calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The branch's team is trained to respond immediately to environmental emergencies where hazardous materials may have been spilled, and represents DEP's Divisions of Water, Waste Management and Air Quality during emergency events.
In a Phase I ESA
ASTM E1527-21 does not name state spill lists among its standard record sources. The federal counterpart of a state spill list is the emergency response record described on the ERNS page. A Kentucky spill report still matters, because it can be the only state record of a release that never became a cleanup case.
- What must be reported. The branch should be contacted when a release or spill meets or exceeds the reportable quantity as defined in KRS 224.1-400, the federal list of lists for hazardous materials, and the Clean Water Act, and when a release or spill over the reportable quantity is threatened. For petroleum, DEP lists the reportable quantities as 25 gallons or more of a petroleum product within 24 hours, 75 gallons or more of diesel fuel within 24 hours, or any amount that creates a visible sheen on surface waters.
- Who reports. DEP says reporting is the responsibility of the responsible party, immediately, and that anyone who witnesses a spill should call the branch. The statute the page quotes, KRS 224.1-400(6), says the notice must state, at a minimum, the location, the material, and the approximate quantity and concentration released or threatened.
- Some spills are not reportable. A release over the reportable quantity into secondary containment counts as a release or threatened release. But where the primary vessel and the secondary containment are inside a building and the spill would not reach the outside environment, DEP says it is not reportable to the branch. The absence of a report does not show the absence of a spill.
- A 911 call does not meet the reporting requirement. DEP says calling 911 does not fulfill the state or federal reporting requirement. After 911, it says to notify the branch, Kentucky Emergency Management and, if applicable, the National Response Center.
DEP adds that a release not reported could result in fines of up to $25,000 per day per violation, and that the party responsible for a release is liable for the cost of the branch's services.
Routine notifications and complaints
DEP's ePortal takes routine notifications, which it describes as releases of pollutants or contaminants into the environment that do not cause imminent danger to human health or the environment. Its anonymous DEP Complaint Form takes environmental complaints, and DEP says it is not for notifications of releases or environmental emergencies.
Where to look a site up
The pages read link no searchable list of reported spills or complaints. The Underground Storage Tank Branch's Compliance Section sends its link for UST release reporting to the Emergency Response Branch page; for tank releases, see also Underground storage tank releases and corrective action.
Getting the file
The Cabinet takes open records requests by email to EEC.KORA@ky.gov, with as much detail as possible about the records sought. For a spill, give the address and the approximate date. Only residents of the Commonwealth, as the Open Records page defines them, may request to inspect public records.
Sources
Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet pages, read October 12, 2026, no modified date shown: