Wexford County Council paid out the the biggest number of septic tank grants in 2023, according to latest published figures.
A total of 32 homeowners in Co. Wexford received €152,057 in grants last year based on figures supplied by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Since the beginning of this year the maximum value of grants available for Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (DWWTS) (septic tanks) has risen from €5,000 to €12,000.
According to the Department of Housing this means that more households “will qualify for the grants and will be supported to upgrade or replace their tank”.
Domestic waste water treatment systems collect, treat and discharge waste water from households that are not connected to public sewerage systems.
They must be registered with local authorities who may inspect them to ensure they do not pose any risk to the public and the environment.
Homeowners must pay a fee of €50 to register their septic tanks with their local authority.
Septic tank grants
According to the Department of Housing local authorities administer DWWTS grants.
Latest figures show that five local authorities did not award any DWWTS grants in 2023 – these included Co. Carlow, Co. Galway,Co. Louth, Co. Tipperary and Co.Waterford.
There were also two local authorities – Co. Clare and Co. Laois – which each awarded just one grant for septic tanks in 2023.
Co. Wexford awarded the most grants for septic tanks followed by Co. Meath who awarded 30 homeowners a total of €150,000 in grants.
Meanwhile 26 homeowners in Co. Mayo also received €123,212 in grants for septic tanks last year and Co. Donegal County Council awarded 15 homeowners a total of €65,613 in grants for septic tanks.
Overall local authorities paid out 194 septic tank grants which amounted to €919,389 in 2023.
Concerns have been raised that some people will miss out on the increased DWWTS grants available from this year because only certain locations are eligible for the grant.
According to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, there are three grant schemes available to households.
“The grants are focused on the areas of greatest environmental priority to protect human health and the environment, and are not general in application,” the minister stated.