Industrial Waste

Spill reporting requirements and procedures

Industrial spill icon.State law authorizes Metropolitan Council Environmental Services to enforce its waste discharge rules and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pretreatment regulations in the Twin Cities metro region.

The following spill reporting requirements apply to spills that have entered any sanitary sewer serviced by the Metropolitan Disposal System.

Industries holding a Met Council Industrial Discharge Permit are required to post this Spill reporting poster (PDF) in an area visible to employees.

Who to call

Call the Minnesota Duty Officer
651-649-5451

The Minnesota Duty Officer is available 24 hours per day, seven days a week.
The duty officer records all information and notifies other state and local agencies as necessary, including the Met Council’s Environmental Services.

When to call

Spills of concern

Toxic, flammable, corrosive, and other dangerous industrial chemicals of any quantity.

Slug discharge* of milk, sugar, and other food products.

Slug discharge* of wastewater in such volume or strength that is likely to cause interference, pass-through, or operational problems in the sewer system.

* Discharge of any waste in concentration or quantity of flow exceeding four times the average concentration or flow rate of a normal operating day

Who should call

Any person who has knowledge of a spill to the public sewers must immediately notify the Minnesota Duty Officer.

Call 911 first if there is an immediate threat to life or property.

Any person responsible for a spill or release to the public sanitary sewers must take immediate action as soon as is reasonably possible to stop the discharge. The responsible person shall perform any control and cleanup actions necessary to prevent additional accidental or prohibited discharge into the public sanitary sewers.

When and what to report

A written report that describes the spill must be submitted to the Met Council by the responsible person within five calendar days after occurrence of the discharge. The report shall include the following information:

  1. Time, duration, and location of the discharge
  2. Description and quantity of the material or waste discharged including constituents and concentrations
  3. Cause of the accidental or prohibited slug discharge
  4. Actions taken to abate and clean up the accidental or prohibited slug discharge
  5. A schedule of corrective measures to prevent further occurrences

Spill Report Form (Word document)

Contact us

Tim Rothstein
[email protected].
651-602-4724