Report environmental violations

Let us know about environmental activity that you suspect is illegal and/or places the public's health or our natural resources at risk

Environmental Strike Force

The Details   of Report environmental violations

What you need   for Report environmental violations

For an oil spill or leak, the release of hazardous materials or other immediate threat to public health, please Report a Spill or Environmental Emergency

For environmental issues that you suspect are against the law and/or placing people's health or natural resources at risk, please Find Your Issue  & File a Complaint.

How to report   Report environmental violations

 

To Report:

  1. Identify the environmental issue you wish to report
  2. Submit your complaint to the primary responder, as directed.

MassDEP works with local, state and federal authorities to address a wide range of environmental issues and complaints. To ensure your complaint is handled promptly, please address it to the primary responder identified in MassDEP's Guide to Filing Environmental Complaints.

 

Environmental Strike Force

617-556-1000

1-888-846-5283

 

Next steps   for Report environmental violations

  1. Who will address my complaint?

    Environmental complaints are handled by MassDEP's regional offices and the Environmental Strike Force.

    The Environmental Strike Force (ESF)  is made up of scientists and engineers from MassDEP, environmental police officers from DFG, State Police officers, and prosecutors from the Office of the Attorney General.

    The ESF gathers evidence during undercover investigations, carefully builds cases against alleged environmental violators, and then takes them to court.

    Violations range from unlicensed removal of asbestos to illegal filling of wetlands, unlawful dumping of trash to willful pollution of our water or air.

  2. Help us Build A Case

    Please try to provide as much information as possible to help investigators identify and prosecute those responsible for environmental violations. In your complaint, try to answer the following questions: 

    Where did it happen? What is the street address or intersection? Can you describe the location to help investigators pinpoint where the violation occurred?

    What did you see, hear and smell? What types of chemicals or materials were involved? What type of environmental damage took place?

    How were the chemicals or materials disposed of? Were they buried, burned, or abandoned into a body of water, onto the ground, or into a storm drain or sewer?

    When did the activity occur, how frequently and for how long? When do you suspect it is likely to happen again?

    Who is involved in the activity? Who owns the property or business? Who else knows what's going on?

    Why do you suspect the violation took place? What were the violator's motives?

Contact   for Report environmental violations

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