Septic tank charges and community advisory groups

A letter dropped through my letter box yesterday from Wicklow Council inviting me to register my household wastewater treatment system (if I have one) before February 1st, 2013. By last Friday only 2,500 households had registered their septic tanks. This is a huge disappointment to the Irish Government who had hoped that their €5 early registration fee incentive for early, set to end on the 28th of this month when the normal fee of €50 euro will come into force, would see the majority of systems registered. According to the CSO there are 497,281 septic tanks and household treatment units in the country, but this is probably a huge underestimation when holiday homes and more isolated dwellings are taken into account. Rural people are very concerned that the follow up inspections will force them into huge investments, with the added worry of unscrupulous individuals selling unnecessary upgrades and package systems to the unsuspecting owners, especially elderly who are most vulnerable in rural areas. My advice is to get registered now at the reduced rate and save yourself €45 as it is inevitable that all tanks will eventually be traced through ESB connections etc. The best approach to the inspections is to form community advisory groups to follow up on inspection reports and to help locals get the best advice and price on upgrades where necessary

Irish Water will become a subsidiary of Bord Gáis

The Government announced today that the new State water authority Irish Water will become a subsidiary of Bord Gáis (The State owned Irish Gas Company). The formation of a new State Water Authority is to be welcomed as it will for the first time facilitate the provision of water, sewerage and wastewater to be operated holistically. It may also allow Irish Consumers, for the first time, to have the same rights as water consumers in other countries and a proper route for the handling of complaints about water quality, something that is currently lacking in Ireland. On the whole the County Councils and Local Authorities have done an amazing job over the years and to some extent it is sad to see this come to an end. However, the senior management in County Councils didn’t rise to the challenge and have now lost one of their key roles.

In some areas local authorities have failed to react to the real needs of consumers and the poor provision in some areas, often linked with poor planning decisions, has left us with complex supply and sewage treatment problems. However, hidden away in water and wastewater treatment plants around the country we have a wealth of fantastic technical and operational personnel with extensive expertise, which I hope will now be allowed to play a more central role in the operation and management of our water services.

We must be very careful to remember that in all the hype about charges there are real public health issues at the core of this change as well as the environmental issues. Personally I would have preferred to have seen a standalone Water Authority similar to those in the UK prior to privatization based on regional areas where staff, equipment and expertise could be shared. Ireland is small enough to have based these on our existing River Basin Districts and to have had the catchment management functions associated with River Basin Management Plans also come under their auspices. Apart from knowing how to collect revenue and lay pipes, I am at a loss to know what Bord Gáis can bring to this critically important and technically very different industry.

The water industry represents a massive and continuous investment by the tax payer for over a century and it should not be allowed to be asset stripped by the private sector, although it is unlikely that with its small size, dispersed population and the complex arrangement with Group Water Schemes that it will prove to be an attractive investment for some time to come. I wish Water Ireland well, but hope that it creates a sustainable water infrastructure for the future and prosperity of Ireland.

Water Meters...A Holistic Approach to Water Conservation



Copyright Plymouth Water

 Quite of few people have been asking for my opinion on the introduction of water meters in Ireland. To be quite honest I am not generally in favour of universal metering simply because of the cost. I would favour a temporary flat rate charge in areas where supplies are not at a critical level, but the introduction of meters in areas where alternative supply side investment is being planned, such as Dublin. However, I feel that the introduction of meters as planned is very crude and that a more integrated approach is needed for water conservation.  A more ambitious plan, which would secure our water supplies for at least the next fifty years, would be to include the householder more directly in this process. I would like to see every household have their supply pipe checked when the meter is installed for leaks, that it is not lead and that the electricity system is not earthed via the pipe. Also, every householder should be given the option to have all their taps and shower heads, and possibly also their toilets replaced with conservation low-flow units at a discounted rate to ensure maximum conservation of water. This installation of meters and household upgrades should be carried out by registered plumbers trained for this task. I would also subsequently like to see all households given the option to buy into some form of service arrangement so that they can have their household system checked regularly for leaks and repaired where necessary for a small annual fee. This would make water conservation savings well in excess of 40% possible as well as ensuring higher quality water. We need to tackle the lead issue, promote the sensible use of water and to reduce leakage on the supply side of the service pipe.

Cheap Septic Tank Registration Offer

The pressure on rural householders to register their septic tanks has been increased by Minister for Environment Phil Hogan by offering a reduced septic tank inspection fee of €5 if they register within the first three months of the new scheme rather than the standard €50 fee .  However, little or no information has been made to householders about how to register, leading to confusion.