The annual inspection system for septic tanks is to be reviewed in 2016, according to the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly.

Currently the Environmental Protection Agency carries out a minimum of 1,000 inspections a year under the National Inspection Plan 2015-2017: Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems.

The plan is managed and implemented by the local authorities and ensures compliance with the provisions of the EU waste directive and the European Court of Justice ruling against Ireland in October 2009.

Kelly said the plan is to be reviewed in 2016 to see how it will work from the following year onwards.

The Minister was responding to concerns raised in the Dáil over the requirement to have a septic tank fail an inspection test by local authorities before an application for a repair grant can be made.

Deputy Barry Cowen of Fianna Fáil asked the Minister if he would extend eligibility for the domestic wastewater treatment system grants to include septic tanks that are registered but which have not been inspected by local authorities.

"People who have difficulties with their septic tanks must be one of the lucky ones to have their septic tank tested in the first instance and it must have failed the test," Cowen said.

Minister Kelly said he did not anticipate any changes being made to that requirement but he did accede to a recommendation from Deputy Mick Wallace, who said people should be able to request an inspection for their septic tank if they know there is a problem with it.

"With regard to considering changes, I agree with the Deputy regarding self-referrals to local authorities from 2017," he said.

The Minister added that the 1,000 inspection taking place annually was only the minimum number being carried out.

"If local authorities wish to increase the level of inspection, they can do so. Some are considering doing this," he said. "However, there are over 400,000 septic tanks in the country. If Deputy [Cowen] is asking whether a scheme should be put in place so that every one of those can be delivered on immediately, that is not realistic."

According to the Minister, selection of treatment systems for inspection under the EPA's plan is carried out by the local authorities using an IT system. The system uses a risk-based methodology for the selection of systems for inspection taking into account factors such as densities of individual treatment systems across the numerous hydrological and geological settings in Ireland and the locations of sensitive groundwater or surface water receptors.

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The rundown on septic tank inspection