IT HAS been two years since the European Court of Justice ruled that Ireland was in breach of its obligations to monitor and prevent the pollution of waterways through malfunctioning rural septic tanks. Since then, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has produced a revised code of practice that incorporates EU guidelines on site suitability, treatment systems, inspections and maintenance. But legislation is still awaited. Unless a programme of measures for improving water quality has been brought into effect by next year, large and ongoing fines are likely to be imposed on the State.
Members of the Government are discovering just how difficult life can be in office. Having objected to water and household charges in opposition, they are now being forced by financial circumstances and a loss of fiscal sovereignty to face unpalatable realities. Rather than engage in a long drawn-out process of excuse-making and hand-wringing over necessary charges and cuts in services, however, they should accept the situation as it is and get on with the job.
Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan has responsibility for ensuring that Ireland meets its EU obligations to protect and improve water quality, which continues to deteriorate. One of the reasons is that local authorities - which, along with farmers, are the most serious polluters – were given statutory responsibility to monitor and enforce standards. Recently, billions of euro were spent on building and improving sewage treatment plants for towns and cities. But more than 400,000 rural septic tanks remain outside an official inspection and maintenance system. That situation is not only bad for the environment, but is bad for public health because it threatens future outbreaks of cryptosporidium that can prove fatal to young and older people.
Mr Hogan has been warned by the Irish Farmers’ Association that it will oppose any charges being imposed on rural households for septic tank inspections and it has rejected the new EPA code of practice on the basis that it could result in large tracts of land being excluded from one-off housing. Such a response was to be expected from this politically astute organisation. But the Minister, with the EU Commission looking over his shoulder, has a duty to protect the environment from one-off housing where septic tanks cannot work properly because of a high water table. He also has to protect the public purse from future EU fines and ensure all septic tanks are properly maintained and inspected.