Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Personal tools
Sections
You are here: Home Breaking news Ireland in troubled waters over septic tanks

Ireland in troubled waters over septic tanks

19 May 2011, 16:35 CET
— filed under: , , ,
Ireland in troubled waters over septic tanks

Septic tank

(BRUSSELS) - In a bid to force Ireland to clean up its act, the European Commission is seeking a hefty fine against Dublin over its lack of proper inspections of septic tanks.

The commission said Thursday it would ask the European Court of Justice to impose a lump-sum fine of 2.7 million euros ($3.9 million) against Ireland as well as a daily penalty payment of 26,173 euros until it takes proper action.

The court already ordered Ireland in 2009 to adopt measures to ensure that septic tanks go through adequate checks and inspections in order to protect human health and the environment, but Dublin has yet to pass any new laws.

"There are more than 400,000 septic tanks throughout Ireland and they can pose significant pollution risks to the environment, in particular ground water and drinking water," said the commission's environment spokesman Joe Hennon.

"Ireland also lacked an appropriate system of monitoring the management of domestic waste waters and in particluar no regular inspections by the competent authorities," Hennon said.

European Union law requires domestic waste water from septic tanks or other individual waste water treatment to be recovered or disposed of without endangering human health or the environment.

Discharges from septic tanks have contributed to micro-biological pollution of groundwater and nutrient pollution of surface waters, the commission said.

"Human health is put at risk because pathogens can enter drinking water sources via septic tanks that are poorly designed, located or maintained," it said.

Current statistics on infringements in general

EU waste policy


Document Actions