Hogan: Owners at most risk from defective septic tanks

Septic tank or waste-water treatment systems should pass inspection unless there is evidence of endangerment of human health or the environment, said Environment Minister Phil Hogan, as he announced that risk-based inspections will start in 2013.

“I have ensured that this legislation has been deliberately framed to minimise the impact on householders,” he said. “It is very simple: Owners of septic tanks and on-site treatment systems must ensure that their systems do not cause a risk to human health or the environment. If a system is defective it is the owners, their families and their neighbours who will be at most immediate risk.”

The legislation requires owners of domestic waste-water treatments systems to.