Latest data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows 56pc of the 1,390 septic tanks inspected were badly maintained, leaking, clogged or otherwise substandard.
The full extent of the problem could be much worse because the annual inspections carried out by local authorities cover only a tiny proportion of the 500,000 homes that have septic tanks.
The EPA points out that grants are available to help householders with the cost of upgrades and repairs. It is also telling local authorities not to let problems linger but to take legal action against householders who refuse to fix their tanks.
Tanks on the same site as household wells and those close to rivers are prioritised for testing.
The EPA said the failure of any septic tank in such locations was a risk to public health and the wider environment.
“More than half of septic tanks failed inspection, which is a real concern,” said Noel Byrne, EPA programme manager.
“Householders’ water supplies and local rivers may be exposed to contamination from faulty septic tanks.”
An additional concern is householders delaying getting their septic tanks fixed when inspections uncover problems.
Almost one in five septic tanks that failed inspection from 2013-2024 were not fixed by the end of last year.
Hundreds were still not fixed two years after the household was first notified that they had failed.
The number of long-overdue fixes has fallen in recent years, but Dr Micheál Lehane of the EPA’s environmental monitoring office said there were still too many
.
“Greater and sustained enforcement effort is needed by local authorities during their annual septic tank inspections, checking that faulty septic tanks are fixed and taking legal action where necessary,” he said.
Septic tanks are installed for homes not connected to mains wastewater networks – typically one-off homes in rural areas.
Counties with the highest failure rates were Laois, Westmeath, Roscommon, Kildare, Leitrim and Offaly where between 70-97pc of inspected tanks failed.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin county councils also recorded among the highest failure rates.
Grants for the repair of septic tanks increased from €5,000 to €12,000 from the start of last year.
Details of eligibility criteria and application forms are available from local authorities.
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