Regulation of Contaminated Sites

​​​​​​​In Tasmania, the management of contaminated land is shared by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and local Council under the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994 (EMPCA).

The Director, EPA, must be notified where the owner or occupier of an area of land knows, reasonably believes or should in the circumstances reasonably believe that the area of land is or is likely to be a contaminated site.

For details on what situations may prompt notification of a contaminated site to the Director, EPA, and how to report a Contaminated Site please refer to the Notification of a Contaminated Site​ page.

If a site poses a known or potential unacceptable risk to human health and/or the environment, or environmental harm is likely to occur, the Director, EPA may issue a Part 5A Notice (an investigation notice, a remediation notice, a site management notice) or an environment protection notice on a person(s), which can include an individual or company. The Minimum Standards for Reporting on Contaminated Sites provides further information on meeting the requirements of a Part 5A Notice.

Other areas of land that contain contaminants in soil and/or groundwater that have been demonstrated not to pose an unacceptable risk of harm to human health or the environment, and therefore are suitable for the current or approved use, are managed by local councils through the land use planning and approvals process. See the Contaminated Land and the Planning Process​ page for more information.