Many local authorities with high failure rates in the inspections of septic tanks have said minor maintenance issues were the reason.More than 500 septic tanks that were judged to be a threat to human health have not been repaired though the owners were notified two years ago, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The septic tanks in question failed local authority inspections and advisory notices were issued, but nothing was subsequently done despite there being grants of up to €5,000 to assist in addressing malfunctioning systems, it added. Only seven local authorities have taken legal actions for failure to fix faulty septic tanks since 2013, amounting to 36 actions in total.
The most common faults were either poorly maintained sewage tanks or structural defects which led to sewage discharging into ditches or streams.