Legislation providing for the inspection and registration of septic tanks has just been published according to page two of today’s Irish Times. The legislation is coming under fire from Opposition who suggest that it is full of hidden charges for home owners with septic tanks. It seems that a first inspection is free with any additional inspections coming in at €200 a go, this may also be on top of a €50 registration fee and the cost of any necessary upgrade works. Original costs proposed by the department were €50 per inspection and would be required to take place every five years. The legislation also suggests that inspections will be concentrated on areas with higher risk to the environment.
We thought it would be interesting to have a look at the location of these ‘high risk’ areas. However, to develop an accurate picture of this a lot of data would be required – geographic location and age of septic tanks, water features, soil types etc. For the moment we are therefore just going to concentrate on the location of septic tanks across the country.
By using 2006 Census data (http://www.cso.ie/census/Census2006_Volume6.htm) we can get a reasonably accurate picture of the number and distribution of septic tanks across the country. It must be noted that this is based on what was recorded on the census forms, enumerators didn’t go digging around in back gardens to verify. So, according to the census in 2006 there were a total of 1,462,296 total private dwellings in permanent housing units in Ireland, of these 418,033 had individual septic tanks, this equates to 28.6% of housing units. The vast majority of housing units are connected to public schemes (956,239 or 65.4%), almost 37,000 (2.5%) housing units have other types of individual sewerage systems that are not septic tanks and a total of 4,179 housing units have no sewerage facilities at all. Another 47,181 or 3.23% were recorded as ‘Not Stated’.
If we look at the spatial distribution of the estimated 418,033 septic tanks throughout the country there is a clear spatial pattern. It’s generally low in urban areas as housing units are all, or should be, linked to public schemes. As expected, the highest concentrations of septic tanks are within areas outside the main cities and towns. Map 1 below details this distribution and highlights particularly high concentrations in areas of east Meath, and the city environs of Cork, Limerick and Galway. On a county by county basis the highest numbers of septic tanks are in Cork County, Galway County, Donegal, Kerry and Mayo. The lowest numbers are within the main cities – Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Galway and the Dublin Local Authorities
If we standardise the results by total number of households we start to get a different picture with the highest proportions within more rural areas. Map 2 details this distribution and shows very high proportions within County Galway (67.94%), Roscommon (61.48%), Donegal (56.38%), Leitrim (55.92%) and Mayo (54.88%). Again, the proportions within the city areas are extremely low with all below 4%.
Justin Gleeson
November 5, 2011 at 8:27 am
There should have been an inspection regime in force decades ago.
November 6, 2011 at 12:24 pm
It would be interesting to superimpose the second map on a map of polluted groundwater from the Shannon River Basin study. Will the rural concentrations coincide with high levels of groundwater pollution?
November 7, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Hi Richard,
Is that data available? If so, would be interested in having a look
November 8, 2011 at 8:56 am
I worked for the MWRA in 2009 and the data was made available to us. I can’t remember if I downloaded everything or just the MW region but there was a complete archive at http://www.shannonrbd.com/downloads.htm. You might need a login and password from Enda.
Best wishes
Dick
November 8, 2011 at 9:44 am
Just Checked. Yes I do have a copy of the whole basin groundwater status on MAPINFO.
November 9, 2011 at 9:17 am
Thinking again about these maps, if the problem being addressed is the likely damage to the environment then surely damage is more likely to arise where there is a concentration of tanks. Neither of these maps address the problem of concentration which should surely be measured by density (per Ha). This is of course leaving aside the question of fragility of the receiving environment.
According to the EPA ( quoted in an Irish Times article ) the real problem is agricultural runoff followed by inadequate urban treatment systems – not septic tanks at all. But as septic tank emptying contractors will tell you, most people can’t bear to watch their septic tank being emptied by reason of deep-seated feelings of guilt relating to the taboo of handling excrement. And it is this guilt that politicians are preying upon when a tax is being contemplated.
So once again our politicians will funk the real issue of inadequate investment in infrastructure while making a little cash on the side from a guilt-tax.
November 17, 2011 at 4:56 pm
@Richard..this is being implemented in response to an ECJ judgement. Nothing to do with guilt. While septic tanks are responsible for somewhere in the region of 5-10% of water quality deterioration it can be fixed of regulated quite easily through such a system. Diffuse agricultural run-off is very difficult to regulate.
November 20, 2011 at 12:03 pm
I am well aware of our ECJ responsibilities.
What I question is the efficacy of the means chosen.
Unsewered Industry for example is responsible for between 0.5 and 12 % of loading yet we hear little about programmes to address this source. Inadequate municipal waste-water treatment systems are responsible for about 30% of loadings and yet we hear little about improvements there. Neither of these sectors is “diffuse” and yet together comprise up to 40% of total loading. Surely if the objective is to reduce pressure on the environment we should tackle the 40% before we attack the 7%?
If we achieved a 50% reduction in septic tank loadings we would achieve a mere 3.5% overall reduction but if we achieved the same reduction in industrial and WWTS loadings we would achieve an overall 20% improvement. Note that I did not mention Agricultural loadings but you can apply the same logic there.
I repeat; our politicians are funking the real issue while applying the politics of guilt to the 400,000 septic tank owners.
February 20, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Well said Richard. When do politicians tackle issues as they should be tackled anan maybe as they might wish to tackle them.The issue of ground water polution by septic tanks has been made a scapegoat by the anti rural housing brigade. If septic tanks are installed and operating properly the effect on groun water should be neglegible. There has been far more damage done to our environment especially rivers by the local authorities allowing estates of houses to be built in small villages and towns around the country without any provision for the proper treatment of the sewage arising. Greed from heafty contributions may have been a factor. Who is going to be in charge of the new septic tank inspection system and passing sentence. This will become another form of taxation. A verse that goes as follows springs to mind:
They hang the man and flog the woman
Who steals the goose from off the common
But leave the greater villain loose
Who steals the common from off the goose.
I propose that there shouldn’t be any charge for either registration or inspection and in the event of defects being discovered and revisits that these should also be free of charge. If fines need to be levied they should be done through the court system and not add to the local authorities coffers
November 26, 2011 at 9:39 pm
Very useful analysis.