What goes in an EPA Annual Environmental Report (AER)?
Quick answer
The AER is a yearly summary of a licensed site's environmental performance. It is due on or before 31 March and is submitted to the EPA as a Licensee Return through the EDEN portal, using the EPA's template. It covers objectives and targets, resource use, complaints and incidents, emissions monitoring results, waste, and financial provision. For wastewater, you report how many samples were taken for each parameter and what percentage met the licence limits. The AER is a public document published on the EPA website.
The reporting year
Urban waste water licence holders have an earlier deadline of 28 February. Emissions reporting for the PRTR is done separately, through the EPA's Environmental Pollutant Release reporting in EDEN.
What the AER covers
- Environmental objectives and targets, and progress against them.
- Energy, water and resource efficiency.
- A summary of complaints and incidents.
- Emissions monitoring results: air, water, sewer, noise, odour and dust.
- Waste sent off site for recovery or disposal.
- Confirmation of financial provision for incidents and, where relevant, closure.
Reporting wastewater results
For each parameter, report the total number of samples taken across your emission points and the percentage that met your licence emission limit values (ELVs) or trigger levels. Samples taken during incident investigations count; samples taken by the EPA do not. Use the comment column to explain any non-compliance. The EPA's guidance warns that reports which leave out data without enough explanation may be rejected.
A breach of a trigger level, the “action level” in many licences, is a reportable incident. It should already be in your incident log before it appears in the AER.
Make March easier
- Keep monitoring results in one place, by emission point and parameter.
- Note the cause and fix for every result above a limit or trigger level when it happens.
- Keep calibration and maintenance records for every analyser and flow meter.
- Track gaps in continuous data with their cause.
- Review the numbers each quarter, not only in March.
Questions plants ask
When is the AER due?
On or before 31 March each year for most licensees. Urban waste water licence holders submit by 28 February.
Is the AER made public?
Yes. The EPA's guidance states that the AER is a public document and is published on the EPA website.
Is PRTR reporting part of the AER?
No. Pollutant release reporting is completed separately through the EDEN portal.
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This guide is general information, not legal advice. Always follow your EPA licence and the EPA's current guidance.