Tag Archives: septic tanks

A CALL has been made for more flexibility in the kinds of waste water treatment processes considerable acceptable when applications for rural housing are being considered by Clare County Council. Councillor Cillian Murphy made an appeal, at the July meeting of the local authority, for more consideration to be given to alternative systems, which he said are increasing in sophistication and effectiveness all the time. “There are farmers out there with sons and daughters who want to stay in West Clare,” he said. “There is a perception that they are unlikely to get planning permission because a number of other applicants on nearby sites have already had failed percolation tests. There is a sense that assessors can tell by looking at the maps, what the local drainage is like, and whether a percolation test is likely to pass or fail.” The Fianna Fáil member stressed that he was in no way advocating that environmental guidelines be bypassed, but pleaded with …

ONE in every three household septic tanks surveyed in Clare failed an inspection test conducted by Clare County Council inspectors. According to council figures, Clare’s 33% failure rate, following an inspection of 55 domestic wastewater treatment systems, was below the national average of 52%. There are 28,000 septic tanks in Clare and only a tiny percentage of these were inspected in line with the annual target, which is set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independently of the council. Council senior engineer, Paul Moroney confirmed that most of the failures were caused by inadequate de-sludging and/or operation and maintenance issues of septic tanks. Mr Moroney said these deficiencies, which were not caused by faults with the system, could be remedied by regular maintenance and de-sludging by an approved contractor, who has a waste permit to dispose of this material properly. The council engineer explained it wasn’t simply a case of emptying a septic tank, as an approved contractor had the …