What is the National Priority Sites System?
The National Priority Sites system allows the EPA to identify which industrial and waste licensed sites should be prioritised for enforcement based on their environmental performance.
The list is used to target the EPA’s enforcement effort at the poorest performing sites in order to drive improvements in environmental compliance.
To which sites does the National Priority Sites System apply?
The system applies to active EPA licensed industrial and waste sites only.
The system does not apply to the following EPA regulated activities:
Note 1 – The EPA publishes the Wastewater Priorities for urban waste water treatment plants.
Note 2 - The EPA publishes a “Remedial Action List” for all public drinking water treatment plants.
There are over 700 sites to which the National Priority Sites System is applied currently. Search the full list of EPA Industrial and Waste licensed activities.
How does the National Priority Sites System work?
In simple terms, each site is given a score based on its licence compliance in the previous six months. The system has four key scoring components: Compliance Investigations, Complaints, Incidents and Non-Compliances. These are described in more detail below. The higher the score the poorer the compliance is at a site.
Compliance Investigations
A Compliance Investigation (CI) is opened by the EPA when there is an issue on a site that is causing, or has the potential to cause an environmental impact and which requires action by the licensee. The EPA monitors progress to ensure that the actions required are completed.
Compliance Investigations are categorised as High, Medium, or Low based on the risk to the environment. Points are assigned based on the category of the CI and whether it is ‘Open’ or ‘Closed’.
| Compliance Investigations Score Allocations | ||
|---|---|---|
| CI Rating* | Open | Closed |
| High | 20 points | 4 points |
| Medium | 10 points | 2 points |
| Low | 3 points | 1 point |
| Note: Only the top 3 highest scoring CIs are counted | ||
* CIs can only be scored as medium/high for odour/noise if a non-compliant odour or noise related issue has been recorded by the OEE during the previous 12 weeks and/or if an action in the CI has not been addressed to the satisfaction of the Agency.
The National Priority Sites system takes account of the number of complaints from the public which are linked to either a Medium or High compliance investigation.
| Complaints Score Allocation |
|---|
| 1 point per complaint* |
* Complaints must be linked to a Medium or High CI to count towards the score; the maximum score for complaints is 20.
Operators of licensed facilities are required to notify the EPA on any occasion where there is a breach of a licence condition. The EPA receives a large number of incidents each year and these are categorised as Minor, Limited, Serious, Very Serious or Catastrophic. The vast majority of incidents reported to the EPA are minor.
Points are assigned based on the category of the incident.
| Incidents Score Allocation | |
|---|---|
| Catastrophic | 30 points |
| Very Serious | 20 points |
| Serious | 10 points |
| Limited | 5 points |
| Minor | No score |
The EPA issues a notification of non-compliance (NC) to a facility when a licence condition is breached. Points are assigned based on the number of non-compliances recorded by the EPA. A greater weighting is applied if a non-compliance is issued for not notifying the EPA of an incident.
| Non-Compliances Score allocation | |
|---|---|
| Non-Compliance with licence | 1 point |
| NC for non-notification of an incident | 5 points |
What score does a National Priority Site have to achieve?
A site becomes a National Priority Site when it has a total score of more than 30 points and a CI score of 10 points or more.
What time period is used to compile the score?
The National Priority Sites List is produced by the EPA on a quarterly basis based on data for the previous 6 months.
How does a licensed site know their score?
Licensed sites are informed in writing when they are on the National Priority Site List.
All licensed sites can calculate their score based on the compliance information available to them.
What happens to a site that is on the National Priority List?
The EPA is using the National Priority Sites to focus its enforcement effort at the worst performing sites. Sites that appear on the list are subject to an escalation of enforcement action by the EPA, up to and including legal action, suspension or revocation.
How can a site get off the National Priority Sites List?
A National Priority Site must address the environmental issues and restore compliance in order to reduce its score.
How often does the EPA publish the National Priority Sites List?
The National Priority Sites list is compiled and published by the EPA on a quarterly basis.
How can I find out more about EPA licensed sites in my area?
View the information on EPA licences, and enforcement records such as site inspection and monitoring report in our licence search database.
If you have a specific query and/or a complaint about a licensed industry in your area you can contact us.
