One of the Donegal campaign groups fighting austerity is advising householders not to impede septic tank inspections in their work schedules due to start soon.
The decision by the Cloughaneely Cant’ Pay Wont’ Pay group also comes amid a growing level of anger that has led to calls for a campaign to deny the septic tank inspectors access to property by whatever means necessary.
A spokesman for the Cloughaneely group told The Tirconail Tribune there is nothing to be gained by opposing the initial inspections and they’ve warned their members there is a serious risk of court action if the inspectors are denied access to sites.
And at the same time most householders have nothing to fear since it is estimated that the number of faulty septic tanks will be very minimal.
And the Cloughanely group has said that anyone who believes that the attempted blocking of inspections is a viable tactic should explain in what way this is in the best interests of the septic tank owner, and in what way would such an action help the septic tank owners situation.
And a spokesperson for the group says the campaign candidates who run for next year’s local elections will be including fairness for septic tank owners’ and proper rural sewage infrastructure as part of their programme for fighting the elections on.
The anti-austerity campaign groups are going to employ a different method of opposing the new legislation.
This opposition is likely to be centered on inability to pay where remedial works are recommended.
The inability to undertake such works could then lead to a court order to implement the works.
Donegal has the third highest number of septic tanks in the country, behind only Cork and Galway. Central Statistics Office figures show there are almost 500 thousand on-site wastewater treatment systems in the Republic- just over thirty thousand of them are in Donegal.
The deadline is now looming for inspections to start and Local authorities will carry out 1,000 inspections on septic tanks across Ireland over the next 15 months.
The Environmental Protection Agency is training local authority staff to carry out the work. The EPA said county council inspectors will have the power to enter private property and seek remedial works to be carried out if a septic tank is not in an appropriate condition.
Mr. Owen Curran who is spokesperson for Cant Pay Cloch Cheann Fhaola and a possible local election candidate in the local elections next June has noted that the septic tank inspectors are due to begin their work in September.
Mr. Curran said that his group understands has been a 90% national compliance with the Government’s demand for registration of septic tanks and they also note that E.U. fines for failing to protect drinking water has been suspended.
He said: “A thousand State-wide inspections are scheduled to take place before July of next year. There is almost 500,000 septic tanks in the State. A minimum of 80 inspections will take place in Donegal.
“We believe there is nothing to be gained by stopping inspections of septic tanks. Anyone who believes that the attempted blocking of inspections is a viable tactic should explain in what way this is in the best interests of the septic tank owner, and in what way would such an action help the septic tank owners situation.
“Later inspections, those to identifying non-compliance with the inspectors recommendations, may well lead to an instruction to complete upgrade works. The inability to undertake such works could then lead to a court order to implement the works.”
