Press Release: Environment    22  March 2006

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Dún Laoghaire, Environment and Justice Press Releases

Green Party calls for septic tanks to be monitored
-as EPA report shows one third of rivers and lakes are polluted.

The Green Party has called on the Government to introduce mandatory monitoring of septic tanks following today’s EPA report which found that a third of Ireland’s rivers and lakes are polluted.

Badly maintained septic tanks were found to be a major cause of phosphorous and sewage pollution which can lead to fish kills and contaminates drinking water.

Green Party spokesperson on Environment Ciarán Cuffe said, “While I welcome the slight improvement of water quality in some areas noted in this EPA report, I believe that it is completely unacceptable that more than one third of our national waterways remain polluted.

“Septic tanks can cause serious ground water pollution unless they are properly installed and maintained. Minister for the Environment Dick Roche needs to introduce regulations to ensure that septic tanks are functioning in a way that is not polluting surrounding ground water.

“Currently there are no requirements for local authorities or the EPA to monitor septic tanks, yet they make a significant contribution to ground water pollution.

“Septic tanks are an environmental time bomb ticking in the background and the Minister should require that they are monitored and maintained on a regular basis,” concluded Deputy Cuffe.