Septic Tanks - Time for an inspectorate?

[solair]

I'm just watching Philip Boucher-Hayes' Future Shock : The Last Drop.

One of the major pollution causes seemed to be unregulated, uncontrolled septic tanks.

Perhaps we need to look at some kind of an annual levy and an NCT type test for septic tanks?

Failure to upgrade / do remedial work could result in perhaps fines, and definitely make it impossible to extend/get planning permission or sell your home.

If it were a simple charge of maybe the same scale as a TV licence, it could be self-funding.

Every septic tank ought to be mapped and registered too.

Anyone got any opinions ?

[mairteenpak]

Septic tanks are old technology. It is fundamentally important that there is a suitable soil profile of 2 meters plus above the highest percolation area to treat the effluent before it is discharged to groundwater.

The likely cost of a decent system for a standard house is €15,000

We need an annual levy to cover the cost of monitoring

Farm pollution is the biggest joke.

A farmer is not allowed to spread slurry less than ten days before rainfall. How is the farmer supposed to forecast rain. We need to make better use of sewage and farm animal waste by using dig-esters to recover energy and to inject the waste products to the subsoil as opposed to spreading it on the surface of the land to become runoff to our waterways.

We also have a problem with estrogen's and synthetic estrogen's( which come from plastics) polluting our water.

[Supermanpolitician]

Septic tanks are old technology. It is fundamentally important that there is a suitable soil profile of 2 meters plus above the highest percolation area to treat the effluent before it is discharged to groundwater.

The likely cost of a decent system for a standard house is €15,000

We need an annual levy to cover the cost of monitoring

Farm pollution is the biggest joke.

A farmer is not allowed to spread slurry less than ten days before rainfall. How is the farmer supposed to forecast rain. We need to make better use of sewage and farm animal waste by using digesters to recover energy and to inject the waste products to the subsoil as opposed to spreading it on the surface of the land to become runoff to our waterways.

Actually there are some fairly snazzy new septic tanks on the market, but like everything they cost more than your old school ones. Not sure about the technology involved (not my area) but the sales pitch is all about the environment.

Regarding spreading slurry, it's a weird one. I know GP voters will go mad with you for that comment, but it is a tough call. As usual it's a tiny minority of farmers who caused any problems with slurry.

[solair]

Can't slurry be collected, safely processed and somehow turned into something useful?!

It could be collected in tankers, processed and made safe.

I mean, it should be going through a local sewage treatment plant of some sort!

[Mr Proper]

Its my right as an Irish citizen to dump sh1t where and how I want .This is political correctness gone mad ! Pollution is a loony left conspiracy .The rural people of Ireland have been oppressed enough etc etc . Now sod off back to Cuba , commie !

[EoinMn]

Water charges, which will then fund inspections and infrastructural improvements are the solution.

We are going to pay through some sort of tax anyway, so it might as well be water charges.

What politician has the balls to introduce such measures though? They will be vilified by the IFA and home-owners.
I hope John Gormley has the courage. I'm quite the Greens would be punished at the next election though for daring to make such an unpopular move.

[solair]

Well, it's that or continue drinking our own urine and sh1t.

[EoinMn]

Actually there are some fairly snazzy new septic tanks on the market, but like everything they cost more than your old school ones.

Councils have made them mandatory in some areas for planning permission now.

[EoinMn]

I know GP voters will go mad with you for that comment

Why?

[mairteenpak]

The Sewage treatment systems alone are not enough you need a good soil profile to complete filtration and treatment, regardless of the system. Some are much better than others.

One stands head and shoulders above the rest but cannot be enforced on account of competition law, due to the twenty thirty standard which as a yard stick is past its sell by date.

http://homepage.mac.com/herinst/envcris ... royal.html

The State of the art is specified and is simply replaced by poor competitors during construction.