This article is from page 9 of the 2013-01-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 9 JPG
RURAL-dwellers in Clare have the second highest rate of registration for septic tanks, despite fears that many households in the north and west of the county will be unfairly targeted for inspections.
According to the latest figures released by the Department of the Environment, 14,521 households in Clare have officially registered their septic tank. With an estimated 19,769 domestic septic tanks in the county, this amounts to a compliance rate in excess of 73 per cent.
This is the second highest compliance rate in the country, with only rural dwellers in Kerry having a higher percentage. Clare’s 73 per cent compliance is also far in excess of the national average which currently lies just above 60 per cent.
This is despite concerns that many rural-dwellers in Clare will be targeted for extra inspection by the Department of the Environment. With large numbers of houses in Clare situated in karst on limestone landscape, they are likely to be deemed as high-risk locations by the Depart- ment of the Environment. This could result in houses in these section of West and North Clare being targeted for extra inspections once the registration period is complete.
Under the 2012 legislation, homeowners who have a septic tank or other domestic waste-water treatment system need to register their system before February 1, 2013. Systems which are not registered before that date will be at increased risk of inspection.
The 73 per cent registration rate in Clare is well ahead of neighbouring authorities such as Galway County Council (50 per cent), Limerick County Council (57 per cent) and North Tipperary County Council 64 per cent.
A number of grants have been introduced to allowed septic tank owners to upgrade their systems. The grants cover up to 80 per cent of the cost for those earning up to € 50,000 to a maximum of € 4,000 and a 50 per cent grant for those earning between € 50,001 and € 75,000 up to € 2, 500.
If the remaining 5,000 Clare properties do not register their properties before the February 1 deadline, they will not be eligible to apply for the grant.