5,000 Galway homeowners to face septic tank bill

Date Published: 25-Jan-2012

An estimated 5,000 County Galway home owners will have to carry out repairs to their septic tanks as part of one of the most controversial Government charges introduced in the history of the State.

It is believed that around one tenth of the septic tanks in the county are faulty and will have to be repaired – and this could result in an outlay of several thousand euro in many cases.

Yesterday, an estimated 500 protestors from County Galway – significantly more than expected – assembled outside Dail Eireann to voice their opposition to the ‘septic tanks bill’ which was voted through last evening.

Bus loads from Connemara and North Galway travelled to Dublin demanding a compensation mechanism for works that have to be carried out on septic tanks.

The group, which has been addressed by a number of TDs, say they will not accept what they claim is an attack on rural Ireland.

However, a Government TD has told The Connacht Tribune that inspections of septic tanks will only take place in parts of Galway where rivers, lakes and streams show signs of being polluted.

Galway East TD Paul Connaughton jnr. said that it was his understanding that in areas of the county where there was no evidence of pollution, it would not be necessary to carry out inspections of septic tanks.

And Deputy Connaughton said that he would be pressing for grant assistance in the event of major repairs having to be carried out to septic tanks that were causing pollution and particularly to those in financial difficulty.

“This is something that should have been done years ago as it is part of an EU directive. The bottom line is that septic tanks that are causing pollution have to be remedies and those that are not have no need to worry”, he explained.

But the septic tank registration charge of €50 is causing absolute consternation throughout the county – and particularly in Connemara where thousands of households fear that they may have to either repair or replace their systems because of poor percolation.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.