Cork figures show 136 home septic tanks inspected every year
Ted O'Leary of the Environmental Directorate of Cork County Council told a meeting of the Council's Southern Division that the figure is dictated to the local authority by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is limited to areas where water quality is potentially threatened by residential septic tanks.
"The number of septic tank inspections that the Council undertakes is very limited. It's 136. That's what we do a year and that number is dictated to us by the EPA. That's what we're required to do, as part of a national response to an EU court case a number of years ago that found that Ireland was not meeting its statutory obligations in relation to the regulation and monitoring of private residential wastewater treatment systems,' he added.
"Arising out of that, a national inspection program was put in place that allocated a specific number of inspections to every local authority. Cork County Council's annual number is presently 136," Mr O'Leary told the meeting.
He said these inspections are all targeted at areas where it has been scientifically proven that local water is under pressure from residential septic tanks. This is usually dictated by the geology of an area.
'So you will find that our inspections are targeted at particular areas of the county that are susceptible because of the geology, because of the landscape, because of the particular configuration of catchments in the area. And that's where we're required by the EPA to target our inspections," he added.
Mr O'Leary said Cork County Council randomly picks 136 residential homes with septic tanks to inspect annually in the areas of sensitivity in the county that have been defined by the EPA.
He explained the most common reason that septic tanks fail an inspection is because they haven't been "desludged" or emptied, a procedure which should be carried out every year or two.
Half a million homes in Ireland use septic tanks to process their sewage and wastewater. More than half of home septic tanks inspected last year were not working properly, raising fears that dirty toilet and sink water is escaping untreated into gardens and rivers.
Figures released by the EPA found that 56pc of the 1,390 septic tanks inspected in 2024 were badly maintained, leaking, clogged or otherwise substandard.
A Department of Housing grant of up to €12,000 is available to householders with faulty septic tanks but the scheme has been criticised as being too restrictive and convoluted.
To be eligible to even apply, a home must be in an area where the surface or ground waters have been determined by the EPA to be at risk from residential septic tanks. Establishing eligibility can mean consulting multiple state agencies, documents, interactive maps and officials, critics say.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
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Ted O'Leary of the Environmental Directorate of Cork County Council told a meeting of the Council's Southern Division that the figure is dictated to the local authority by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is limited to areas where water quality is potentially threatened by residential septic tanks. "The number of septic tank inspections that the Council undertakes is very limited. It's 136. That's what we do a year and that number is dictated to us by the EPA. That's what we're required to do, as part of a national response to an EU court case a number of years ago that found that Ireland was not meeting its statutory obligations in relation to the regulation and monitoring of private residential wastewater treatment systems,' he added. "Arising out of that, a national inspection program was put in place that allocated a specific number of inspections to every local authority. Cork County Council's annual number is presently 136," Mr O'Leary told the meeting. He said these inspections are all targeted at areas where it has been scientifically proven that local water is under pressure from residential septic tanks. This is usually dictated by the geology of an area. 'So you will find that our inspections are targeted at particular areas of the county that are susceptible because of the geology, because of the landscape, because of the particular configuration of catchments in the area. And that's where we're required by the EPA to target our inspections," he added. Mr O'Leary said Cork County Council randomly picks 136 residential homes with septic tanks to inspect annually in the areas of sensitivity in the county that have been defined by the EPA. He explained the most common reason that septic tanks fail an inspection is because they haven't been "desludged" or emptied, a procedure which should be carried out every year or two. Half a million homes in Ireland use septic tanks to process their sewage and wastewater. More than half of home septic tanks inspected last year were not working properly, raising fears that dirty toilet and sink water is escaping untreated into gardens and rivers. Figures released by the EPA found that 56pc of the 1,390 septic tanks inspected in 2024 were badly maintained, leaking, clogged or otherwise substandard. A Department of Housing grant of up to €12,000 is available to householders with faulty septic tanks but the scheme has been criticised as being too restrictive and convoluted. To be eligible to even apply, a home must be in an area where the surface or ground waters have been determined by the EPA to be at risk from residential septic tanks. Establishing eligibility can mean consulting multiple state agencies, documents, interactive maps and officials, critics say. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
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