Only one in four septic tank inspections in Leitrim were carried out, EPA

Leitrim County Council only conducted a quarter of the necessary septic tank inspections last year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Only four inspections were carried out in 2024, despite the council being mandated to conduct sixteen by the EPA. Of those four, just one tank passed.

The failure to meet the EPA’s minimum inspection target was due to a staffing shortage brought on by staff turnover and difficulty recruiting technical staff, according to council spokesperson Kieran Brett.

Despite these staffing challenges, the council did not consider hiring external firms to carry out inspections.

Brett stated that the staffing issue has now been resolved and said the council fully expects to meet its 2025 target of 22 inspections, which includes the outstanding 12 from last year.

The EPA expressed concern after its figures showed that 56% of septic tank inspections across the country failed in 2024.

In Leitrim, the failure rate was even higher at 75%, although local councillor James Gilmartin urged the public not to panic, pointing out that only four tanks were tested, making the sample size too small to draw broad conclusions.

“There is a large cohort of elderly people who built their houses in the 70s and 80s. They’re hearing this on the radio and they’re scared of an inspection,” he said. “They should not, in any shape or form, have to bear the brunt of a complete replacement.”

While grants are available for septic tank replacements, Gilmartin said more financial support is needed, particularly in areas with poor soil conditions, where replacements can cost over €10,000.

“We need people in rural Ireland. We need people in rural Leitrim, and we need to do everything we can — as a council and a national government — to facilitate that,” he added.

Since 2014, a total of 156 septic tanks in Leitrim have failed, but according to the EPA, over 75% of those have been repaired.

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