54% of septic tanks fail Cork council inspections

Of the septic tanks rated by Cork County Council in 2020, 54% turned out to fail the inspection.

According to a new report, 59 septic tank inspections were carried out by the Cork County Council as part of the National Inspection Plan in 2020. 32 of the systems inspected failed, corresponding to a failure rate of 54%.

The report states that poor maintenance and failure to sludge the tank were the main reasons for the failure.

The details were provided in a second quarter environmental report circulated at the Cork County Council South Committee meeting on Monday.

Risks

The council report stated that septic tanks can contaminate household wells with harmful bacteria and viruses if not properly constructed and operated. In addition, excessive releases of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus can pollute the receiving waters.

Ted O’Leary, Senior Executive Officer, Environment, said:

“It seems that septic tanks are being used where there is no public water infrastructure. Typically, they are installed when a house is being built and, possibly by human nature, people tend to forget about them until they cause a problem. “

Grants available to help

Noel Byrne, EPA National Inspection Plan Program Manager, said: “It is important that homeowners repair septic tanks where problems are found. There is a grant program to help homeowners repair broken septic tanks. Local authorities should focus their efforts on resolving open cases to ensure that human health and the environment are protected. “

The septic tank funding program, which was expanded in 2020, offers grants of € 5,000 to help troubleshoot system malfunctions.

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