Delays fixing faulty septic tanks threaten human health and water courses, EPA says

Half of the domestic septic tanks inspected last year failed to meet standards and 20 per cent were identified as posing a risk to human health and the environment, according to a report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

A total of 1,143 inspections of domestic wastewater treatment systems were completed by local authorities last year but the EPA said the number of inspections by councils in Clare, Waterford and Offaly “were well below their requirements”.

Enforcement by local authorities of failed septic tanks “is inconsistent”, the environment watchdog says in the report published on Wednesday. The lowest rates of septic tank failures being fixed were recorded in counties Roscommon, Waterford, Leitrim and Tipperary.

Domestic wastewater treatment systems – mostly septic tanks – are used by householders to treat sewage. There are nearly half a million systems in Ireland, mainly located in rural areas.

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The EPA said 49 per cent (560 treatment systems) failed inspections because they were not built or maintained properly, while 230 were considered a risk to human health or the environment because faulty systems can contaminate household drinking water wells and pollute rivers.

Dr Tom Ryan, director of the EPA’s office of environmental enforcement, said there was a need to treat faulty systems promptly.

“Faulty septic tanks are a risk to human health and the environment. If not built and operated properly, they can pollute watercourses and contaminate household drinking water wells with harmful bacteria and viruses,” he said. “Where septic tanks are not functioning properly, it is critical that householders fix the problems to protect their family’s health and the environment.”

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Where septic tanks fail inspection, local authorities issue advisory notices to householders setting out what is required to fix the problem. The report found that there were 550 cases where issues were notified to householders more than two years previously that had still not been addressed.

A septic tank grant scheme offers grants up to €5,000 to assist in addressing malfunctioning systems. More than 200 grants, totalling nearly €1 million, were awarded last year.

“It is unacceptable that failed septic tanks have not been fixed more than two years after inspection,” said EPA programme manager, Noel Byrne.

Half of these involve sewage surfacing in gardens and discharging to ditches and streams, which are health risks that cannot be allowed to continue, he said.

Local authorities have taken 47 legal actions for failure to fix treatment systems since 2013, with 11 taken last year. The report says 43 out of 47 of legal actions were taken by local authorities in Wexford, Kerry and Mayo.

The national inspection plan for domestic wastewater treatment systems 2022-2026 recommended an increase from 1,000 to 1,200 from this year onwards. There was a shortfall in inspections by five local authorities last year on this target and these need to be completed this year, the EPA adds.

Inspections are focused near rivers where there is greater risk to water quality and areas with shallow soils where there is greater risk to household wells.