This paper deals with the management of the often brief pollution inci
dent which gives rise to a sudden emergency. There are two key aspects
to pollution risk management: the identification and minimisation of
potential and actual risks (pro-active management), and planning how t
o deal with such incidents as do occur (reactive management); Pro-acti
ve management involves the identification of potential pollutants with
in a catchment and assessing what can be done to minimise the risks at
source. Reactive management deals with the actions necessary which wi
ll depend on the severity of the incident, and covers both administrat
ive procedures and practical issues. These concepts of pollution risk
preparedness are described, and illustrated with a number of case stud
ies. Copyright (C) 1996 IAWQ. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.