Inishowen councillor highlights issue of effluent leaking from communal septic tanks into rivers and estuaries

Councillor Terry Crossan submitted a motion to this week’s meeting of Donegal County Council, at which he asked that the council ‘take responsibility for the maintenance of communal septic tanks that are having a detrimental effect on the environment due to leakage and seepage of effluent especially in the vicinity of river courses or estuaries’.

Colr Crossan claimed many of the issues are ‘emanating from unfinished estates, that no-one appears to want to take responsibility for’.

"Some are close to rivers and streams and are leaking effluent into waterways, causing all sorts of pollution and environmental damage.”

He outlined how some of the tanks are ‘packing up and causing raw sewage to seep out of drains.”

He asked that the council work with Irish Water to ‘prevent these systems from becoming problematic’ in the first place.

Colr Crossan added that the council, on ‘many occasions’ at his request, have ‘been very reactive in a very positive way’ and addressed issues with systems.

“But, I would like them to be positively proactive in trying to prevent these events actually happening.”

The Sinn Féin councillor said he has been in contact with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Loughs Agency and has been ‘unable to make any headway at all with Irish Water’.

The motion was formally seconded by Councillor Albert Doherty.

Michael McGarvey, Director of Water and Environment, said the department is looking at funding options for numerous housing estates and added that the council has a ‘very active taking-in-charge team’ with 60 estates taken in charge in the last number of years ‘that had not been in the 15 years before that’.

He said the council do, at times, intervene and empty the tanks and will continue to do so. He added that they would ‘actively work’ with Irish Water ‘where that’s applicable’ and aim to identify other funding sources.

Colr Crossan acknowledged that there have been ‘substantial interventions’ and work from the council but said he would still like a ‘long-term solution to this ongoing problem’ to be explored.