Rural dwellers must clean up their acts on septic tanks

The current controversy over septic tank inspections seems to have provoked a resistance campaign marked by political opportunism and cowardice, self-induced hysteria and sheer bloody-minded selfishness.

On the assumption that Minister Phil Hogan is correct in saying that Ireland faces severe financial penalties from the European Commission and court for failing to deal effectively with pollution from septic tanks, then the premise for a septic tank inspection is needed. If not implemented, the entire Irish community will be required to pay for the sins of a few.

Failure to either properly install or maintain individual septic tanks and other treatment units for rural houses, has a distinguished historical pedigree. Reports, now dating back some 30 years, have regularly highlighted these deficiencies. The primary beneficiary of properly constructed and maintained septic tanks is the individual householder and family; their rural neighbours, the secondary. So why should the buck stop at anyone else’s door? Cavan County Council and the rural community in Cavan appears to have dealt with the same problem in a sensible, mature and effective manner. Why can’t this model suffice for the rest of rural Ireland?