Final day to register septic tanks

The Department of the Environment is confident it will achieve an 80 per cent level of septic tank registrations as the deadline approaches this evening.

Latest figures from the Department of the Environment this morning show that over 70 per cent or 360,000 people have registered for the Government charge with a minimum of 10,000 in the post.

“We are confident that we will achieve in the region of 400k allowing for applications that will come through the postal & local authority systems over the weekend,” a department spokesman said.

Only households who have registered their systems by today will be eligible for financial support if their system fails an inspection.

Co Kerry has the highest level of registration at 91 per cent (of some 28,200 tanks), based on figures up to Wednesday. This is followed by Co Clare and Co Mayo at 79 and 74 per cent respectively.

The Dublin city council area has the lowest registration level at 3 per cent.This figure is not an accurate gauge of the situation, according to the city council. The census figures suggest there are 2,718 septic tanks in Dublin city but people may have mistakenly stated they had a tank, as the city is served by an extensive piped drainage network. Dublin City Council said some some of the 91 registrations could apply to properties outside Dublin.

Residents of South Dublin County Council and Fingal areas have recorded the next lowest levels at between 40 and 43 per cent. As with Dublin City Council, some of these registrations could apply to properties outside Dublin.

Outside the capital, septic tank owner in Limerick have the lowest levels of compliance at 43 per cent (of 420 tanks) followed by Donegal at 50 per cent (of 32,900 tanks).

In December Minister for the environment Phil Hogan announced a grant scheme of up to 80 per cent of repair costs for those earning up to €50,000, up to a maximum of €4,000, and a 50 per cent grant for those earning up to €75,000, up to a maximum of €2,500.

Systems which have not been registered will be at increased risk of inspection., the Department has said.

Inspections are due to begin this year with details being finalised by the Environmental Protection Agency. At the heart of the initiative was the protection of public health and the environment , Gerard O’Leary, director of the Environmental Protection Agency said.

A plea for the Government to extend its deadline until the national inspection plan is published was made by Fianna Fáil environment spokesperson Barry Cowen

“I am again appealing to Minister Hogan to extend the registration deadline to end of April so that the new inspection standards can be published and scrutinised in full,” he said.