There are about 500,000 wastewater treatment systems and/or septic tanks in the countryside in Ireland. Since April 2012 all on-site septic tank systems or domestic wastewater treatment systems have to be registered. All existing systems were supposed to be registered by a deadline of January 2013.
The owner of every private home or business which is not connected to the public sewer is supposed to register.
Septic Tank Registration Charges
The registration of residential waste water treatment systems began in July 2012 – there is a one off fee of €50 (This was reduced to just €5 if home owners registered before the end of September 2012.)
You can register your waste treatment system or septic tank online at www.protectourwater.ie . This fee is not an annual fee – but there could be a re-registration fee in a few years.
A person who fails to produce a valid certificate of registration on request will be committing an offence.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be responsible for the development of a National Inspection Plan.
The EPA will use a risk-based approach to the regulation of septic tanks and other domestic wastewater treatment systems. It also will establish and maintain a register of inspectors.
More details of the Septic Tank Charges here
Inspections of waste treatment systems started in July 2013 and will concentrate on areas with high risk to the environment and public health. At least a thousand inspections a year are planned.
Grants for Repair
Only householders who had registered their system by Feb 1st 2013 deadline will be eligible for financial support if their tank fails an inspection. Up to 80% of the cost of repair works, up to a maximum of €4,000 for those earning up to €50,000, will be funded by the department. A 50% grant for those earning up to €75,000 is also available, to a maximum of €2,500.