3. RAG thresholds for EPA metrics
Published 15 October 2025
Applies to England and Wales
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Water and sewerage company performance for each metric is given a red, amber or green (RAG) status. Green status means that metric performance is on track to meet the relevant Water Industry Strategic Environmental Requirements (WISER) expectations. Amber status means some improvement is required and red status that significant improvement is required to meet relevant WISER expectations. In summary:
- red – significant improvement required
- amber – some improvement required
- green – on track
Table 3. RAG thresholds for live Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) metrics
| EPA metric | Red status | Amber status | Green status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious incidents | 2 or more serious incidents | 1 serious incident | zero serious incidents |
| Self-reporting of incidents | glide path – see table 2 | glide path – see table 2 | glide path – see table 2 |
| Discharge permit compliance with numeric conditions | equal to or less than 98% | greater than 98% and less than 99% | equal to or more than 99% |
| Discharge permit compliance with descriptive conditions | equal to or less than 98% | greater than 98% and less than 99% | equal to or more than 99% |
| Storm overflows EDM operation | less than 95% | equal to or less than 97.5% and equal to or greater than 95% | greater than 97.5% in addition to meeting sub-measure requirements |
| Satisfactory sludge use and disposal | 98% or below | below 98.2% but above 98% | 98.2% or above |
| WINEP and NEP scheme delivery | less than or equal to 98% | less than 100% and greater than 98% | 100% |
| Water resources scheme delivery | to be confirmed | to be confirmed | to be confirmed |
Next: 4. Rating system.