EPA Pollution Hotline

Report pollution or any activity potentially harmful to the environment to the 24-hour EPA Pollution Hotline on -

1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC)

Providing information
We need as much information as possible about the incident in your report:

• What is happening?
  Is the problem a smell and, if so, how would you describe it? If the problem is a discharge to a creek, what colour is it and what distance/area does it cover?
  
  
• When was it first observed?
  It is preferable for you to give an exact time (for example, 10.30 am), rather than just ‘this morning’. Also report if you have ever noticed the problem before and whether it is still happening at the time of your report.
  
  
• Where is it happening?
  Give the name of the street where the problem is happening, with the nearest cross-street. If the problem is a discharge to a creek, tell us which side of the creek it is entering from. If it is obviously coming from a building, what is the name of the business that operates there? Include a Melway reference if possible.
  
  
• Your contact details
  In case we need clarification of the information you have provided, we would like your name and address with a daytime phone number. The information will, of course, be kept in strict confidence (read about privacy). In some cases we may also need to contact people affected by or reporting an incident, to discuss their availability as a witness if legal proceedings result from our investigations.

What happens next?
An officer will review the report and assess the risk to the environment based on the circumstances and any previous, related incidents.

Based on this assessment the officer will decide whether to conduct an inspection. If an inspection is not conducted, details of the report will be retained for reference for future activity in the area. 

If you would like to be informed of the progress of your report, EPA will contact you within 3 working days with an update on the incident.

Top