Major announcement as inspections due on Kildare Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (DWWTS)

Kildare County Council wishes to advise all homeowners that inspections of Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (including septic tanks) will be carried out during 2025.

The purpose of these inspections is to ensure that DWWTS are not causing negative impacts on human health or the environment.

Inspections are carried out in accordance with the EPA DWWTS National inspection Plan, which is a risk-based approach.

Kildare County Council will contact owners when DWWTS are to be inspected and co-operation with these inspections would be appreciated.

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Kildare County Council advises householders to inspect their DWWTS every year for signs of operational issues.

Check for:

• Blockages in manholes or slow draining toilets and sinks

• Unwanted pools of water/sewage (ponding)

• Evidence of sewage in nearby ditches and streams

• Odours

• Noise

Homeowners are required by law to register their DWWTS with Protect Our Water.

To check if a DWWTS is registered please contact ‘Protect Our Water’ directly at 01-6438484 or support@protectourwater.ie

If the DWWTS is located in a relevant area under the EPA DWWTS National Inspection Plan, the owner may be entitled to apply for a grant to assist with the cost of works for the remediation, repair, upgrade, or replacement of a domestic waste water treatment system serving a house.

Eligibility is determined relative to defined criteria set out under the grant scheme and should be confirmed before making an application.

Note in relation to emptying and disposing of DWWTS (septic tank) contents

Only registered waste contractors with a valid Waste Collection Permit to remove septic tank sludge in County Kildare should be engaged to de-sludge and empty your DWWTS.

Owners of a DWWTS are required to keep records and receipts of sludge removal and servicing for five years.

Farmers may spread sludge from their own septic tank onto their own land but only in accordance with the Waste Management (Use of Sewage Sludge in Agriculture) Regulations (SI No. 148 of 1998).

Further details on properly maintaining a DWWTS can be found on:

Kildare County Council’s website at www.kildarecoco.ie/AllServices/Environment/WasteWater

; EPA website at https://www.epa.ie/take-action/in-the-home/wastewater/

; By contacting Kildare County Council’s Environment Section, on 045-980588 or environwastewater@kildarecoco.ie