Environmental Services
Program
- ESP Home Page
- Env. Emergency Response System
- Investigating Hazardous Wastes
- Responding to Env. Emergencies
- Air Quality Monitoring
- Air Pollution Bid Requests
- Water Quality Monitoring
- Chemical Analysis
- Report an Environmental Concern
- Homeland Security
- Methamphetamine
- Standard Operating Procedures
Environmental Emergency Response
| Tanker truck incident in Barry County. |
The department's role in emergency response is to minimize damages in a hazardous substance emergency, with the highest priority being the protection of people and then the environment. The Environmental Emergency Response (EER) PDF Section serves as the departments' front line of defense to significant and imminent hazardous substance releases that impact public safety and the environment.
The department's mandate to address environmental emergencies includes "any chemical, petroleum, or other material spilled on to the land, water, or atmosphere" that might impact the public health/safety and/or the environment. The Missouri "Spill Bill"* (Section 260.500 to 260.550 RSMo) requires the department to maintain a 24-hour EER Hotline, and provides the authority to initiate a cleanup or provide cleanup oversight for chemical releases.
The EER Section responsibilities include:
- state lead on hazardous substance emergencies
- maintaining the Hazardous Substance Emergency Response Plan
- maintaining the 24-Hour EER Hotline 573-634-2436 and Tracking System
- provide notifications about spills to other local, state and federal agencies
- provide on-site response and technical assistance during an environmental emergency
- cleanup oversight for chemical and petroleum spills
- Cost Recovery
- Clandestine Drug Lab Collection Station Program
- Homeland Security
On average, the EER Section receives over 1,500 incident calls and responds to nearly 450 hazardous substance emergencies each year.The EER Section staff includes hazardous material technicians in Jefferson City, St. Louis, Poplar Bluff, Kansas City, Macon and Springfield who respond when an environmental emergency occurs.
