Wetlands solution to waste problem

OPPOSITION politicians are having a field day with the septic tank issue in rural Ireland, gladly joining protesters who are packing village halls in their hundreds to rail against the €50 fee for tank inspections.

Yet, some of the same politicians were part of the previous Fianna Fáil/PD Government which openly recognised the need for regulation in an area that has serious implications for public health, especially in regard to drinking water which poorly functioning septic tanks can poison.

In some cases, up to 57% of ground water samples are contaminated by human waste, according to state agencies.