The Department must be notified of a release or threat of a release as soon as possible but not more than two hours after obtaining knowledge when the release or threat of a release meets one or more of the following sets of criteria:

• it is likely that the release threatened is about to occur and it is likely that the quantity of the release, if it occurred, would be equal to or greater than the applicable Reportable Quantity;
• it is deemed to pose an Imminent Hazard to health, safety, public welfare and/or the environment including:
  • a release to the environment:
    • of reactive or explosive hazardous material which threatens human health or safety,
    • of oil and/or hazardous material which poses a significant risk to human health when present for even a short period of time,
    • of oil and/or hazardous material which produces immediate or acute adverse impacts to freshwater or saltwater fish populations,
    • resulting in the presence of oil and/or hazardous material vapors within buildings, structures, or underground utility conduits at a concentration equal to or greater than 10% of the Lower Explosive Limit,
    • which produces readily apparent effects to human health, including respiratory distress or dermal irritation;
  • a release to a roadway that endangers public safety;
• a sudden, continuous or intermittent release to the environment of any hazardous material when:
  • the quantity of the release is unknown or the quantity of the release is equal to or greater than the applicable Reportable Quantity and it is likely that the release occurred within any period of 24 consecutive hours or less;
  • it results in the appearance of a sheen on surface water;
• a release to the environment is indicated by the measurement of oil and/or hazardous material in a private drinking water supply well at concentrations equal to or greater than a Category RCGW-1 Reportable Concentration; or
• any release of oil and/or hazardous material that is indirectly discharged to the environment by means of discharge to a stormwater drainage or sanitary sewerage system.

A Release Notification Form is used to provide written notification of a release or threat of release to the Department on a form established by the Department for such purposes and provides information such as the location and address where the release or threat of release occurred, the time and date when the release or threat of release occurred, and the names and amounts of oil and/or hazardous material released or threatened to be released.