Kilkenny has low level of resolving failures in septic tank inspections

Kilkenny is one of three counties which have a signifcant number of septic tanks which failed inspection combined with a low level of resolution according to a report by The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The report on Domestic Waste Water Treatment System Inspections 2023 which details the findings of septic tank inspections completed by local authorities in 2023 was published earlier this month. Of the 1,189 septic tanks inspected, 45 per cent (532) failed because they were not built or maintained properly.

In Kilkenny 51 inspections were carried out in 2023 and from 2013 and 2023 there were 187 system failings with 57% of these fixed by the end of 2023.

Domestic waste water treatment systems, mostly septic tanks, are used by householders to treat sewage. There are nearly half a million systems in Ireland. The EPA’s National Inspection Plan 2022-2026 has identified the number of inspections that need to be completed, particularly near rivers and in areas where septic tanks are co-located with household drinking water wells. Local authorities are required to complete a minimum of 1,200 inspections annually as part of their implementation of the plan.

Commenting on the report, Dr. Tom Ryan, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said,

“Faulty septic tanks are a risk to human health and the environment and must be fixed. The EPA, through the National Inspection Plan, has identified rivers and areas where household drinking water wells are most at risk of contamination by faulty septic tanks. Local authority inspections are targeted in these areas. It is critical that householders protect their family’s health and the environment by fixing the problems identified, drawing on the enhanced grants now available.”
Where septic tanks fail inspection, local authorities issue advisory notices to householders setting out what is required to fix the problem. The EPA report found that there were 576 cases where issues notified to householders over two years previously had still not been addressed.

The grant schemes for remediation of septic tanks were changed at the start of 2024 to increase the amount from €5,000 to €12,000.