The Environmental Protection Agency has today stated that Leitrim is one of the worst counties in the Country when it comes to the enforcement of rules surrounding septic tanks that have failed inspections.
The EPA have published a report on Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems.
The report found enforcement by local authorities of failed septic tanks is inconsistent, with Leitrim have one of the highest rates when it comes to failed tanks not being repaired.
Today’s report claims that half of the septic tanks in the country failed inspection last year with 20 per cent identified as a risk to human health and the environment.
The findings are contained in an Environmental Protection Agency report on Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems.
When we break down the local data there were 12 inspections carried out in Sligo in 2022. There was a 25% failure rate. 135 systems were reported to have failed between 2013 and 2022 and 84% were reported to have been fixed by the end of last year.
In Donegal there were 100 inspections carried out last year, the failure rate was classed at 44 % 317 systems failed between 2013 and 2022 and by the end of December last 83 % were fixed.
The report found that enforcement by the local authorities of failed septic tanks is inconsistent, with the lowest rates of failures fixed in Leitrim, Roscommon, Waterford, and Tipperary.
So let’s look at the Leitrim figures. 14 inspections were carried out last year. The failure rate was 71%
When it comes to the systems that failed between 2013 and 2022 Leitrim returned a figure of 150.
The percentage repaired at the end of 2022 in Leitrim was 57%
The only county with a lower percentage rate was Roscommon where the figure was 53%
So let’s try and find out why Leitrim has found itself in this worrying position.
Kinlough based Councillor Justin Warnock says there are a number of reasons including that the current level of grant funding is also not sufficient enough to meet the high costs of construction work associated with such upgrades.
