The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released its report on Domestic Wastewater Treatment System Inspections in 2024.
The report details the findings of septic tank inspections completed by local authorities in 2024.
Read about the worrying findings and what it means for households that own septic tanks.
Table of Contents
DWWTS in Ireland
Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems (DWWTS) are used by many homes in Ireland to treat sewage. There are nearly 500,000 systems across the country, with the majority being septic tanks. When these systems are not working properly, they can create serious problems:
Faulty DWWTS can pollute household wells with harmful bacteria and viruses. This means that people might end up drinking contaminated water. Wastewater can also leak out into gardens or flow into nearby ditches and streams, increasing the chance of direct contact with harmful waste.
When DWWTS are broken or poorly maintained, they can release excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus. These substances can harm rivers, lakes, and streams by causing pollution. Wastewater from homes is putting pressure on the water quality in 148 water bodies in Ireland that are already considered “at risk”.
Septic Tank Inspections in 2024
As part of the EPA’s National Inspection Plan (2022–2026), local authorities are required to carry out at least 1,200 inspections of DWWTS each year. In 2024, they inspected 1,390 septic tanks.
Worryingly, 56% of these systems (773 out of 1,390) failed the inspection. Many of these failures were serious enough to be considered a risk to both public health and the environment.
The most common reasons for these failures are outlined in a visual provided by the EPA:
Problem Areas
Some parts of the country had especially high failure rates. If you live in one of these areas and use a septic tank, it’s very important to check your system and ensure it’s not causing harm to you or your environment. The following areas saw failure rates of at least 75% in 2024:
- Dun Laoghaire Rathdown (100%)
- Laois (97%)
- Westmeath (92%)
- Roscommon (85%)
- Kildare (83%)
- Leitrim (75%)
- South Dublin (75%)
Additionally, some counties are falling behind in addressing problems identified during inspections. From 2013 to 2024, the following areas had fewer than 75% of failed systems repaired by the end of 2024:
- Galway County (74%) & City (71%)
- Waterford (71%)
- Laois (67%)
- Kilkenny (67%)
- Westmeath (63%)
- Roscommon (60%)
- Cork City (50%)
Enforcement of Standards
When a system fails inspection, the local authority sends the homeowner an advisory notice, informing them that they must fix the problem. Between 2013 and 2024, 6,354 systems failed inspections. By the end of 2024, 82% of these issues had been resolved. This is an improvement from 75% at the end of 2021.
However, enforcement varies across the country. Some regions are doing significantly better than others at addressing these issues. There has also been an increase in the number of legal cases taken in 2024 (66) compared to 2023 (62).
What Should Households Do?
If you have a septic tank or other DWWTS, it’s essential to ensure it’s built correctly and properly maintained. A faulty system can harm both your health and the environment.
Another important step is testing your drinking water well. If you get your water from a private well, you should regularly test it to make sure it’s safe. Harmful bacteria and viruses from a faulty DWWTS could be getting into your drinking water without you even knowing.
At Southern Scientific, we offer water testing services that help protect your family’s health by checking your well water for contamination.
