Written answers

Wednesday, 9 April 2014

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Wastewater Treatment Facilities Inspections

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

123. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of private wastewater schemes broken down by county that were inspected to date under the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012; the number that required remedial work broken down on the same basis; the number of applications received for grants for the upgrade of these systems following inspection also broken down on the same basis; the number of grants approved and the number paid out, broken down on a county basis; the total grants approved to date; the total grants paid to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17002/14]

Photo of Phil HoganPhil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 assigns responsibility to the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) to make a National Inspection Plan for domestic wastewater treatment systems. The National Inspection Plan 2013: Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems was adopted and published by the EPA in February 2013. The Plan provides for a minimum of 1,000 inspections to be carried out by the water services authorities (which are the 34 county and city councils) in the 12 month period up to July 2014. Details of the minimum number of inspections to be carried out in each county are included in the Plan. The Plan is available on the Agency’s website ()

Neither I nor my Department have any direct role in monitoring the implementation of the EPA’s Plan by the local authorities . However, I can confirm that the EPA has conducted an interim review on the implementation of the National Inspection Plan for septic tanks and other on-site waste water treatment systems for the period July 2013 to February 2014 . The EPA report contains a breakdown , by county , of inspections that have taken place and the number of non-compliant treatment systems for which advisory notices were issued . The report is also available on the Agency’s website .

Applications for grant aid in respect of remediation works are submitted to, and processed by , the local authorities who then seek recoupment of the amounts paid from my Department. To date, no applications for recoupment of grants made by the local authorities towards the remediation of failing domestic wastewater treatment systems have been submitted to my Department.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.