Using the Waste Site/Reportable Release Look Up Tool

The Waste Site/Reportable Release Look Up tool gives you access to information about contaminated properties throughout Massachusetts. Learn how to search effectively for sites in your area and what the results actually mean.

There have been over 40,000 releases of oil or hazardous material reported to MassDEP since the mid-1980's.

Information about these sites is available through the Waste Site / Reportable Release Lookup, including a summary of where the site is in the assessment/cleanup process, as well as access to documents that have been submitted to the Department.  This information describes the kind of contamination present at the site, how it came to be there, and any potential health or environmental risks that may be associated with the contamination.  You can find out what has been done to clean up the property and whether there are any long-term land use restrictions you should be aware of.

You may be interested in this information if you live or work on nor near a contaminated property, or if you are interested in purchasing the property.

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You skipped the video, This video describes the process for searching for information about MGL Chapter 21E Oil and Hazardous Material Disposal Sites using the "Searchable Sites List" tool..

Understanding the Results

When you use the Waste Site/Reportable Release Look Up tool, you'll find that the results include a number of terms and acronyms that are specific to the cleanup regulations. 

MassDEP has prepared a description of the terms you'll see on the Results page to help you better understand the status of a site.

Specific questions can also be directed to the MassDEP Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup through its Information email address:  [e-mail].

Additional Resources

Understanding the Waste Site/Release Look Up Search Results