Two thirds of septic tanks in Mayo are failing inspections

ALMOST two thirds of all septic tanks inspected in Mayo during 2022 failed their inspections with the Environmental Protection Agency indicating that the county has one of the lowest rates for fixing faulty septic tanks.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its report on Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems Inspections in 2022 with 74 inspections taking place in Co Mayo. Of the 74 inspections in 2022, there was a 64 percent failure rate with only counties Leitrim, Roscommon and Waterford having a higher failure rate.

Mayo County Council was required to carry out 45 inspections in 2022 but completed 74 inspections which is one of the highest inspection rates in the country. Since local authorities started to inspect septic tanks in 2013, there have been 469 system failings in Co Mayo but only 70 percent of these have been fixed, with the national average at 78 percent. Only six local authorities have a lower fix rate than Co Mayo.

The EPA revealed that local authorities have taken 47 legal actions for failure to fix septic tanks since 2013, with 90 percent of these legal actions taken by Wexford, Kerry and Mayo County Councils.

Commenting on the report, Dr Tom Ryan, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said it is critical that faulty septic tanks are fixed as soon as possible.

“Faulty septic tanks are a risk to human health and the environment. If not built and operated properly, they can pollute watercourses and contaminate household drinking water wells with harmful bacteria and viruses. Where septic tanks are not functioning properly, it is critical that householders fix the problems to protect their family’s health, and the environment,” he said.

As part of the report, the EPA examined the 1,143 inspections of domestic waste water treatment systems completed by local authorities in 2022. Forty-nine per cent (560) of the treatment systems failed inspection because they were not built or maintained properly. Twenty per cent (230) of treatment systems inspected were considered a risk to human health or the environment, because faulty systems can contaminate household drinking water wells and pollute rivers.

Where septic tanks fail inspection, local authorities issue advisory notices to householders setting out what is required to fix the problem. The report found that there were 550 cases where issues notified to householders over two years previously had still not been addressed. The septic tank grant scheme offers grants up to €5,000 to assist in addressing malfunctioning systems. Over 200 grants, totalling nearly €1 million were awarded in 2022.