Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien has announced that grants available for domestic waste water treatment systems (commonly known as septic tank systems) will be increased by 140% to €12,000, from €5,000.
The changes are due to take effect from January 1, 2024 and will mean that more households will qualify for the grants, and will be supported to upgrade or replace their tank by an enhanced grant.
The qualifying condition whereby the septic tank must be registered with local authorities prior to February 2013 will be removed, according to the minister.
On the announcement of the grant, Minister O’Brien said:
“These are very important changes which will help households, particularly those in rural Ireland, by easing the financial burden associated with upgrading, repairing or replacing a septic tank.
“I’ve listened to the feedback from many stakeholders advocating for these changes and I believe they will encourage more households to avail of the grant and consequently help reduce the risk of environmental impact from defective tanks.”
Septic tank eligibility
Domestic waste water treatment systems collect, treat and discharge waste water from households that are not connected to public sewerage systems, according to the department.
The tanks must be registered with local authorities to receive grants. Authorities may inspect them, to ensure tanks do not pose any risk to the public and the environment.
Senator Victor Boyhan has welcomed the minister’s announcement to increase grant aid.
“Septic tanks, collect, treat, and discharge wastewater from households that are not connected to public sewer systems, so are therefore a crucial component for sustainable rural housing development which is important to rural communities,” Senator Boyhan said.
Senator Boyhan said he would be seeking clarity from Minister O’Brien to set out how he proposed to ensure septic tanks would be monitored to ensure compliancy with environmental safeguards.