Do your part – Be SepticSMART
Waterford City and County Council reminds owners of septic tanks and other small waste water treatment plants that regular maintenance of the system can prevent longer term problems.
14,000 houses in Co. Waterford rely on a septic tank or other domestic waste water treatment system to treat the sewage from their homes and businesses. Timely maintenance of these systems is vital to ensure they operate efficiently and can prevent more costly repairs being required in the longer term.
Eamonn Morrissey, Senior Executive Scientist in Waterford City and County Council said, “Desludging septic tanks and other treatment systems is vital to ensure they continue to work optimally. Solids which are flushed down the toilet end up in the septic tank, with the liquids going into the percolation area to be broken down by bacteria. If the solids are not removed from the septic tank regularly, they can end up blocking the percolation area and this can mean a new percolation area may need to be dug.”
He added, “Malfunctioning percolation systems can lead to polluted water ponding on the surface of peoples gardens and potentially polluting their drinking water wells.”
The recommended frequency of desludging depends on the size of the septic tank or waste water treatment system and the number of people using it.
The table below shows how many years are recommended between desludging.
If you are unsure of the size of your tank, you should use the figure for 2.5m³.
More details on septic tanks and how to maintain them, including a list of companies permitted to desludge them can be found on Waterford City and County Council’s website at https://waterfordcouncil.ie/services/water-services/water-quality/septic-tanks/
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