Concern over delay in resolving septic tank failures in Waterford

Waterford City and County Council is being urged to place a greater focus on ensuring that faulty septic tanks are repaired quicker than is currently the case.

The Environmental Protection Agency has warned the failure, by householders in Waterford and across the country, to fix faulty septic tanks cannot be allowed to continue.

In its report on Domestic Waste Water Treatment System Inspections 2023, it says 532 (45%) of the 1,189 septic tanks inspected last year failed because they were not built or maintained properly. 

The EPA says some local authorities have not been carrying out the required number of inspections and that legal directions to make up for a shortfall in inspections were issued to Waterford County Council in 2022 and Galway County Council in 2023.

While 80% of septic tanks which failed inspections over the past decade have been fixed, concerns have been raised about the number of septic tanks in Waterford which have not been repaired.

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"There are three local authorities that complete a significant number of inspections but the failure rate that are brought to resolution is less than 60% and that is Roscommon, Kilkenny and Waterford - and that really isn't good enough," said Noel Byrne, programme manager with the EPA.

"What the EPA is calling for is more focus work to be done by local authorities, especially Roscommon, Kilkenny and Waterford, to engage with and work with householders to fix faulty septic tanks," he told Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1.

According to the latest EPA report, the target of carrying out 40 inspections was achieved by Waterford City and County Council last year.

A total of 53 failures have been recorded across Waterford since 2013 and as of the end of last  year, just 45% of them had been resolved.