Any person who has contaminated land, or the owner of any land that is considered potentially contaminated, is generally required by law make a report to their local state EPA body, depending on the state environmental or contaminated land regulations. In NSW this must be completed using a prescribed form, under section 60 of the CLM Act. The Duty to Report guidelines were updated in 2015, which you can read more about in our article here.
A new version of that prescribed form has recently been approved by the EPA.
The changes in the form are:
- A new form link to the Duty to Report Contamination Guidelines;
- A requirement for the attachment of supporting information, or if the supporting information is not attached, an explanation for why not is required.
A short transition period was allowed. Since 1 April 2018, the new form has been required for all contaminated land notifications.
The first step under national guidelines and state regulations in identifying contamination is to complete a preliminary site investigation (PSI) for your property.
iEnvironmental Australia also has a simple checklist you can use to find out whether you have the Duty to Report contamination – contact [email protected] for a copy.
Speak to us at [email protected] or try our online 2 minute PSI quotation portal: https://www.psireport.com.au/product/property-environmental-background-check/ if you prefer easy, quick no-nonsense payment and delivery.