More than half of septic tank systems failed inspection in 2021 due to operational issues such as de-sludging and structural defects, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
A report from the EPA entitled Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems Inspections 2021, revealed that local authorities completed 1,127 inspections, 604 of which did not pass.
Furthermore, 29% of the systems inspected were identified to be a risk to human health or the environment, as faulty sewage systems can easily contaminate drinking water wells and pollute rivers.
The authorities completed the investigations under Ireland’s National Inspection Plan, which was established in 2013; however, the failure rate has remained high ever since the scheme’s introduction.
The plan allocates a larger percentage of inspections to areas of the country that are identified as higher risk, where there may be multiple rivers near densely populated communities and shallow soils.
Those that failed inspection received advisory notices requiring them to fix their system. According to the report, 75% of the systems that failed between the 2013-2021 period were fixed by the end of last year; however, 36 legal actions have been taken against householders by local authorities for failure to complete such repairs in this timeframe.
Commenting on the report, Dr. Tom Ryan, director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said:
“Householders should visually check their septic tank and get their well tested at least annually to satisfy themselves that their septic tank is not posing a risk to the health of their families, their neighbours and the environment.
“Where problems are detected, householders need to take the necessary steps to fix their septic tanks.”
Local authority breakdown
The number of inspections carried out varied from region to region. Donegal required the highest number of inspections last year (118) and it also carried out the most, completing 121 within 2021.
The report shows that 36% of these inspections failed, leaving the number of failed systems in that region since 2013 standing at 274.
However, the region with the highest failure rate last year was Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown at 100% – although this could be an outlier as only one inspection was carried out.
The Meath local authority checked up on 71 domestic water treatment systems, 94% of which failed the inspection. In the period 2013-2021, the county recorded 299 failures.
Looking at the report, a significant contrast can be seen in the rates between Galway’s two local authorities.
As zero inspections were required in Galway city, zero inspections were carried out, meaning there was no failure rate last year. However, Galway county carried out 101 checks, the exact number which was required, 40 of which failed.
A new National Inspection Plan for 2022-2026 has been published, which will increase the number of inspections from 1,000 to 1,200.
It will also ensure that all domestic water-treatment inspection failures are followed up, including prosecution where necessary.