Environmental Protection Agency says a failure to fix faulty septic tanks can’t be allowed to continue

Almost half of septic tanks inspected by the EPA last year were found to be faulty.

1,189 tanks were inspected in 2023 with 45% classified as failures, with a significant number identified as a risk to health.

Tipperary County Council carried out the required 40 inspections last year. In the years from 2013 to 2023 169 septic tank systems in the Premier County failed of which 72% had been fixed by the end of last year.

The agency is asking the public to make sure they maintain their tanks regularly and avail of Government grants if repair works need to be carried out.

Noel Byrne from the EPA says some of the tanks inspected hadn’t been fixed in over a decade.