Research and analysis

Northumbrian Water EPA data report 2019

Published 2 October 2020

Applies to England

This report provides company specific data and information on the Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) metrics. It contains current year and historic performance data. For further information on what each EPA metric means see our EPA metric guide.

In addition to the EPA metrics this report contains a section on event duration monitoring (EDM) delivery. For a comparison between water companies and wider regulatory information see the Environmental performance of the water and sewerage companies in 2019 report.

We set targets for each EPA metric. Company performance is then given a red, amber or green (RAG) status:

  • red - performance significantly below target
  • amber - performance close to or slightly below target
  • green - performance better than target

The thresholds are reviewed every 5 years.

1. EPA performance star rating

Annual performance star rating after assessment of Northumbrian Water’s performance across all EPA metrics

Year Overall EPA star rating (out of 4) Star rating description
2019 ★★☆☆ Company requires improvement
2018 ★★★★ Industry leading company
2017 ★★☆☆ Company requires improvement
2016 ★★☆☆ Company requires improvement
2015 ★★★☆ Above average company
2014 ★★★☆ Above average company
2013 ★★★☆ Above average company
2012 ★★★☆ Above average company
2011 ★★☆☆ Below average company

2. Total pollution incidents (sewerage) metric (category 1 to 3)

Main facts

For 2019:

  • 46 actual incidents
  • 75% fewer incidents per 10,000km sewer than in 2011
  • 29,848km sewer length

Annual number of pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) from Northumbrian Water sewerage assets, with EPA rating

2011 to 2015 data

Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
EPA status amber amber amber amber amber
Incidents per 10,000km sewer 59 120 79 54 97
Actual incident numbers 94 192 127 87 156

2016 to 2020 data

Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
EPA status amber green green green N/A
Incidents per 10,000km sewer 38 17 12 15 N/A
Actual incident numbers 111 50 37 46 N/A

Annual number of pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) from Northumbrian Water sewerage assets, also showing EPA status and thresholds

Pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) for 2011 to 2019. The years 2011 to 2016 are amber (94, 192, 127, 87, 156 and 111 incidents respectively). Years 2017 to 2019 are green (50, 37 and 46 incidents respectively).

Graph note: the thresholds for a RAG status are shown in the graph background. EPA thresholds for normalised incidents (per 10,000km sewer) are shown in the EPA metric guide. They are revised every 5 years. Sewer length data was collected in 2011, then reviewed and adjusted where necessary in following years. Sewer length affects the actual number of incidents required to fall within a particular RAG status:

  • green status for Northumbrian Water was equivalent to ≤81 actual incidents in 2011 to 2015, ≤75 in 2016 and ≤76 in 2017 to 2019
  • red status for Northumbrian Water was equivalent to ≥208 actual incidents in 2011 to 2015, ≥146 in 2016 and ≥148 in 2017 to 2019

Number of pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) from Northumbrian Water sewerage and clean water supply assets in 2019

Asset type Number of pollution incidents (category 1 to 3)
Combined sewer overflow 4
Foul sewer 32
Other water industry premises 0
Pumping station 9
Rising main 0
Sewage treatment works 1
Storm tank 0
Surface water outfall 0
Water distribution system (clean)* 17
Water treatment works (clean)* 3

*Water distribution system (clean water supply) and water treatment works (clean water supply) are not part of the EPA total pollution incident (sewerage) metric.

For sewerage pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) we expect all water companies to achieve green EPA status (≤25 incidents per 10,000km sewer) by 2020.

For 2019:

  • 15 sewerage pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) per 10,000km of sewer - this is rated as green
  • performance was better than the sector average (37) for sewerage pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) per 10,000km of sewer
  • best performing company for sewerage pollution incidents (category 1 to 3)

3. Serious pollution incidents (sewerage) metric (category 1 and 2)

Main facts

For 2019:

  • 2 actual serious incidents
  • 90% fewer serious incidents per 10,000km sewer than in 2011

Annual number of serious pollution incidents (category 1 and 2) from Northumbrian Water sewerage assets, with EPA rating

2011 to 2015 data

Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
EPA status red amber amber amber amber
Serious incidents per 10,000km sewer 6.8 1.9 3.1 1.9 3.1
Actual serious incident numbers 11 3 5 3 5

2016 to 2020 data

Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
EPA status red amber green amber N/A
Serious incidents per 10,000km sewer 3.1 0.7 0.3 0.7 N/A
Actual serious incident numbers 9 2 1 2 N/A

Annual number of serious pollution incidents (category 1 and 2) from Northumbrian Water sewerage assets, also showing EPA status and thresholds

Serious pollution incidents (category 1 and 2) 2011 to 2019. Years 2011 and 2016 are red (11 and 9 incidents respectively). Years 2012 to 2015, 2017 and 2019 are amber (3, 5, 3, 5, 2 and 2 incidents respectively). Year 2018 is green (1 incident).

Graph note: the thresholds for a RAG status are shown in the graph background. EPA thresholds for normalised incidents (per 10,000km sewer) are shown in the EPA metric guide. They are revised every 5 years. Sewer length data was collected in 2011, then reviewed and adjusted where necessary in following years. Sewer length affects the actual number of serious incidents required to fall within a particular RAG status:

  • green status for Northumbrian Water was equivalent to ≤2 actual serious incidents in 2011 to 2015 and ≤1 in 2016 to 2019
  • red status for Northumbrian Water was equivalent to ≥7 actual serious incidents in 2011 to 2015 and ≥5 in 2016 to 2019

Number of serious pollution incidents (category 1 and 2) from Northumbrian Water sewerage and clean water supply assets in 2019

Asset type Number of serious pollution incidents (category 1 and 2)
Combined sewer overflow 0
Foul sewer 2
Other water industry premises 0
Pumping station 0
Rising main 0
Sewage treatment works 0
Storm tank 0
Surface water outfall 0
Water distribution system (clean)* 1
Water treatment works (clean)* 0

*Water distribution system (clean) and water treatment works (clean) are not part of the EPA serious pollution incident (sewerage) metric.

For serious sewerage pollution incidents (category 1 and 2) we expect all water companies to achieve green EPA status (≤0.5 incidents per 10,000km sewer) by 2020.

For 2019:

  • 0.7 serious sewerage pollution incidents (category 1 and 2) per 10,000km of sewer - this is rated as amber
  • performance was better than the sector average (0.9) for serious sewerage pollution incidents (category 1 and 2) per 10,000km of sewer
  • needed ≤1 serious sewerage pollution incidents (category 1 and 2) to be rated as green

4. Discharge permit compliance metric

Main facts

For 2019:

  • 160 permitted sewage treatment works (STW)
  • 16 permitted water treatment works (WTW)

Annual discharge permit compliance (STW and from 2016 includes WTW) for Northumbrian Water, with EPA rating

2011 to 2015 data

Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
EPA status green green amber green green
Percentage permit compliance 99.4 100 98.1 99.4 99.4
Number of permitted STW discharges 158 158 159 159 159
Number of non-compliant STW 1 0 3 1 1

2016 to 2020 data

Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
EPA status amber red green red N/A
Percentage permit compliance 97.8 96.0 99.4 96.6 N/A
Number of permitted STW discharges 158 158 159 160 N/A
Number of permitted WTW discharges 22 15 14 16 N/A
Number of non-compliant STW 1 2 0 5 N/A
Number of non-compliant WTW 3 5 1 1 N/A

Note: 3 of the non-compliant STW in 2019 were due to sample shortfalls associated with laboratory analysis not meeting quality control standards and are not associated with any known environmental impact.

Annual discharge permit compliance (STW and from 2016 includes WTW) for Northumbrian Water, also showing EPA status and thresholds

Pollution incident self-reporting % for 2011 to 2019. The year 2011 is red (30%). The years 2013, 2014 and 2016 are amber (39%, 56% and 68% respectively). The years 2012, 2015 and 2017 to 2019 are green (71%, 82%, 80%, 84% and 80% respectively).

Graph note: the thresholds for a RAG status are shown in the graph background and in the EPA metric guide. They are revised every 5 years.

For discharge permit compliance we expect all water companies to achieve green EPA status (99%) by 2020.

For 2019:

  • 96.6% discharge permit compliance - this is rated as red
  • 96.9% discharge permit compliance at STW and 93.8% discharge permit compliance at WTW
  • performance was worse than the sector average (98.7%) for discharge permit compliance
  • needed ≤1 failing sites to be rated as green
  • worst performing company for discharge permit compliance

5. Self-reporting of pollution incidents metric

Main facts

For 2019:

  • 80% incidents self-reported
  • 53 incidents self-reported
  • 13 incidents reported by others

Annual self-reporting of pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) from Northumbrian Water sewerage and clean water supply assets, with EPA rating

2011 to 2015 data

Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
EPA status red green amber amber green
Percentage of incidents self-reported 30 71 39 56 82
Number of incidents self-reported 28 138 50 50 131

2016 to 2020 data

Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
EPA status amber green green green N/A
Percentage of incidents self-reported 68 80 84 80 N/A
Number of incidents self-reported 75 47 51 53 N/A

Annual self-reporting of pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) from Northumbrian Water sewerage and clean water supply assets, also showing EPA status and thresholds

Pollution incident self-reporting % for 2011 to 2019. The year 2011 is red (30%). The years 2013, 2014 and 2016 are amber (39%, 56% and 68% respectively). The years 2012, 2015 and 2017 to 2019 are green (71%, 82%, 80%, 84% and 80% respectively).

Graph note: the thresholds for a RAG status are shown in the graph background and in the EPA metric guide. They are revised every 5 years.

Self-reporting of pollution incidents (category 1 to 3) from Northumbrian Water sewerage and clean water supply assets in 2019

Asset type Number of pollution incidents self-reported (category 1 to 3) Number of pollution incidents not self-reported (category 1 to 3)
Combined sewer overflow 3 1
Foul sewer 24 8
Other water industry premises 0 0
Pumping station 9 0
Rising main 0 0
Sewage treatment works 0 1
Storm tank 0 0
Surface water outfall 0 0
Water distribution system (clean) 14 3
Water treatment works (clean) 3 0

Self-reporting of serious pollution incidents (category 1 and 2) from Northumbrian Water sewerage and clean water supply assets in 2019

Asset type Number of pollution incidents self-reported (category 1 and 2) Number of pollution incidents not self-reported (category 1 and 2)
Combined sewer overflow 0 0
Foul sewer 1 1
Other water industry premises 0 0
Pumping station 0 0
Rising main 0 0
Storm tank 0 0
Sewage treatment works 0 0
Surface water outfall 0 0
Water distribution system (clean) 1 0
Water treatment works (clean) 0 0

For self-reporting of pollution incidents we expect all water companies to achieve green EPA status (≥75%) by 2020.

For 2019:

  • 80% self-reporting of pollution incidents - this is rated as green
  • performance was equal to the sector average (80%) for self-reporting of pollution incidents

6. National Environment Programme (NEP) delivery metric

Main facts

For the financial year ending 2020:

  • 23 schemes were completed to the planned deadline
  • 0 schemes were not completed to the planned deadline

Annual delivery of the NEP by Northumbrian Water, with EPA rating

Data for financial years ending 2012 to 2016

Financial year ending 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Asset Management Plan (AMP) AMP5 AMP5 AMP5 AMP5 AMP6
EPA status green green green green green
Percentage of NEP complete to date (cumulative) 110 100 100 100 100
Cumulative number of schemes completed during AMP period 11 13 14 24 8

Data for financial years ending 2017 to 2021

Financial year ending 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Asset Management Plan (AMP) AMP6 AMP6 AMP6 AMP6 AMP7
EPA status green green green green N/A
Percentage of NEP complete to date (cumulative) 100 100 100 100 N/A
Cumulative number of schemes completed during AMP period 21 42 50 73 N/A

Table note: AMP5 schemes that were completed early before their planned year were included in the cumulative delivery percentage (in some cases resulting in percentages over 100%). AMP6 schemes that were completed early before their planned year were not included in the cumulative delivery percentage until their planned year (cannot report over 100%). The thresholds for each RAG status are in the EPA metric guide. They are revised every 5 years.

For NEP delivery we expect all water companies to achieve green EPA status (≥99%) in any year.

For the financial year ending 2020:

  • 100% NEP delivery - this is rated as green

7. Sludge disposal and use metric

Main facts

For 2019:

  • 26,221t (tonnes) total volume produced (dry matter)
  • 4,511ha (hectares) land used for spreading
  • 100% of sludge produced was used in agriculture

Annual compliance with sludge disposal and use metric by Northumbrian Water, with EPA ratings

2011 to 2015 data

Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
EPA status green green green green green
Percentage of sludge compliant 100 100 100 100 100

2016 to 2020 data

Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
EPA status green green N/A N/A N/A
Percentage of sludge compliant 100 100 N/A N/A N/A

Table note: from the 2018 calendar year, we suspended the metric from the EPA whilst we reviewed our regulatory regime for sludge. The thresholds for each RAG status are in the EPA metric guide. They are revised every 5 years.

Annual summary of sewage sludge disposal and use (dry matter) by Northumbrian Water

Year Sewage sludge used in agriculture (tonnes thousands) Sewage sludge recovered non-agriculture (tonnes thousands) Sewage sludge disposed (tonnes thousands) Actual quantity produced (tonnes thousands)
2011 47.2 0.6 0.0 47.8
2012 38.9 1.8 0.0 40.7
2013 28.7 2.0 0.0 30.8
2014 25.2 0.0 0.0 25.2
2015 27.7 0.0 0.0 27.7
2016 30.3 0.0 0.0 30.3
2017 26.7 0.0 0.0 26.7
2018 27.7 0.0 0.0 27.7
2019 26.2 0.0 0.0 26.2

8. Security of Supply Index (SoSI) metric

Main facts

For the financial year ending 2020:

  • 2 water resource zones
  • 670 Ml/d water distributed to the network (megalitres)

Annual compliance with SoSI by Northumbrian Water, with EPA ratings

Financial year ending 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
EPA status green green green green N/A
SoSI score 100 100 100 100 N/A

Table note: the thresholds for each RAG status are in the EPA metric guide.

For SoSI we expect all water companies to achieve green EPA status by 2020.

For the financial year ending 2020:

  • score 100 - this is rated as green

9. Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) delivery

All water companies have investment in place to monitor the vast majority of storm overflows.

Installation of EDM monitors is mostly funded through the NEP however does not form part of the EPA NEP delivery metric.

Number of Northumbrian Water storm overflows with EDM

Year 2019
Total number of storm overflows 1,518
Number of storm overflows with annual data reported 1,119
Percentage company coverage 74