Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

378 Chapter 14: Environment, Health and Wellbeing 7 gov – Domestic waste water treatment systems (septic tanks) (www.gov.ie) (29 July 2024). Domestic waste water treatment systems. There are nearly half a million domestic waste water treatment systems, mostly septic tanks, in Ireland. Faulty septic tanks systems can contaminate household drinking water wells with harmful bacteria and viruses and can pollute water bodies. Of all septic tanks inspected by local authorities in 2023, 45% failed inspection, with a significant number identified as a risk to human health and the environment (EPA, 2024d). When septic tanks are not functioning properly, it is critical that householders fix the problem to prevent unnecessary risk to their family’s health. Local authorities require householders to fix systems that fail inspection. The most recent report on domestic waste water treatment system inspections found that the number of advisory notices open for more than 2 years (576) has continued to increase and remains a concern (EPA, 2024d). More consistent enforcement is needed by local authorities when advisory notices are not addressed. The septic tank grant scheme 7 operated by DHLGH was amended in 2024, increasing the available grant from €5,000 to €12,000. This presents a significant opportunity for householders to repair, upgrade or replace their septic tanks, thereby preventing needless risks to human health and the environment. Urban waste water. Untreated and poorly treated waste water can contain harmful bacteria and viruses that pose a risk to people’s health. The treatment of waste water is therefore essential to protect our environment and public health. Once treated, the effluent is discharged into rivers, estuaries, lakes and coastal waters. More than 1 billion litres of waste water are collected each day in Ireland’s sewers and treated at over 1000 Uisce Éireann treatment plants. In Ireland, urban waste water treatment is still not as good as it needs to be, and this is putting our environment and public health at risk. Waste water treatment failed to meet EU standards in 15 large towns and cities in 2022 (EPA, 2023). These included the Greater Dublin Area, served by an overloaded plant at Ringsend that treats over 40% of Ireland’s urban waste water. Infrastructure upgrades to increase the capacity of the Ringsend plant and bring it up to the required standard are well advanced. The works are due to be completed in 2025 but the upgraded infrastructure in place since the start of 2024 has the capability to meet EU standards, provided it is operated and managed effectively. At the end of 2023, raw sewage from 19 towns and villages was being discharged into the environment every day, which poses an unacceptable risk to the environment and public health. The EPA has repeatedly highlighted that these areas must be connected to waste water treatment plants as a matter of urgency. A legacy of underinvestment means that multi-billion euro spending is required to bring all infrastructure up to standard – it is likely to take at least two decades to bring all infrastructure up to standard. While progress has been made in several areas over the last few years, the EPA has highlighted that the pace at which Uisce Éireann must deliver improvements needs to accelerate (EPA, 2023). Uisce Éireann’s next investment plan for 2025–2029 must prioritise resources to tackle priority areas highlighted by the EPA. Topic Box 14.4 describes the establishment of the National Wastewater Surveillance Programme, a valuable tool that public health officials use to monitor infectious diseases through waste water across the country.