As we move out of the recession, the gaps left in our public services are being exposed. Ireland’s ramshackle water supply suffers from growing pollution. There are 250,000 homes on boil-water notices. According to Irish Water, more than half its water-treatment plants are at risk of failure. In response, it wants to invest enormous sums in new machinery that could secure a cleaner supply.
In my opinion, this approach is wrong. It chooses bigger bandages rather than avoiding the wounds. Instead of laying out enormous sums on new works, we should first tackle the source of the pollution, identify the culprits and apply appropriate sanctions. Basic reform would yield great savings.
Irish Water has admitted that its supply problems have largely arisen from excessive pollution of the abstraction sources. Put simply, what’s coming down the river has become dirtier. This is, essentially, a rural problem. Yet people in the countryside continue to blame public authorities for the defective water supply, rather than admitting that this pollution is coming from their own farmyards and septic tanks.
Farming stands alone as a culture that tolerates the flow of soiled water into surrounding lands. This rural source of pollution was brought sharply into focus in the past few months when we saw so many dungsteads, slurry pits and septic tanks submerged by floods. There was, however, a surprising silence regarding all the ordure released and carried away.
It is the smaller, rural treatment plants that are in distress. Many of them are in areas that have seen an excessive proliferation of septic tanks. Too many domestic sewage plants are dug in, covered over and left to their own devices, until a foul smell demands some attention. By then, they may have fouled neighbouring wells or killed off the local fishery. We can recall public protests a few years ago when the government began to introduce a management regime for septic tanks. Those who promote balanced regional development should not tolerate this dichotomy.
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There are about 500,000 septic tanks in the countryside. In 2013, the government brought in a mandatory registration system for these tanks. As our water treatment plants now come under greater pressure, it appears there has been little overall improvement in the quality of the water being sourced for public piped services.
Recent figures reveal a high failure rate in septic tank systems tested under the new regime. This should hardly surprise us. Some rural counties, such as Roscommon, have extensive areas of underlying soil and rock that will not allow effective effluent treatment. Nationally, more than half of septic tanks fail the state test, while the failure rate reaches almost 80% in Roscommon. Usually, this is due to the owner’s failure to remove the sludge built up inside the tank. A self-imposed myopia compels these householders to blame some outside authority for their troubles. Rural communities expect the urban taxpayer to pay for their shortcomings — and water pollution is no exception.
Local councils have a duty in regard to planning policy, and in most of these rural counties they have not responded. Planners still grant permissions in these areas, rather than facing up to their responsibility. In my opinion, the planning code should include a new provision, allowing irresponsible councils to be sued for neglecting their duty of care.
For essential infrastructure, our county-management system is no longer fit for purpose. In the recent national political debate, there was much talk of creating a ministry of rural affairs. We do need a national framework. It is almost a century since we learnt this lesson in regard to the electricity supply.
A rural affairs minister would have to tackle serious infrastructural shortfalls. The water supply and wastewater networks must be joined up. This is another reason for moving the strategic issues to a central body such as Irish Water. Reforms can begin by confronting the polluters and making them pay for the urgent repairs needed.
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Dr Diarmuid Ó Gráda is a planning consultant