Septic Tanks (DWWTS)

Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems (DWWTS) / Septic Tanks

DWWTS / Septic Tanks and your responsibilities:

DWWTS / Septic Tanks collect, treat and discharge wastewater from households that are not connected to public sewerage systems. Your DWWTS / Septic Tank accepts wastewater from toilets, showers, sinks, washing machines and dishwashers in your house. This means that your DWWTS / Septic Tank will contain bacteria, germs and chemicals as well as water and waste materials. As a householder with a DWWTS / Septic Tank, you have responsibilities for its design, construction, operation, and maintenance.

DWWTS / Septic Tank Inspections - EPA Ireland - Maintaining DWWTS

Please note that Protect Our Water deal with registration of a DWWTS / Septic Tank and they can be contacted by phone at (01) 643 8484 or by email at support@protectourwater.ie. 

• Register your DWWTS / Septic Tank online
• Pump out (de-sludge) and service your system regularly using a permitted contractor.
• Keep a record of all service work and de-sludging.
• Ensure all manhole covers are secure.
• Prevent grease, excessive bleach and chemicals, food, disposable items, and rainwater from entering your system.

The Contractor must provide you as Householder with a receipt with the following details:

• Their Waste Permit Number
• Date of sludge collection
• Weight collected and destination of sludge (treatment and disposal)

 Click here for further information on DWWTS (Septic Tanks)

DWWTS / Septic Tank Sludge Removal Contractors:

DWWTS / Septic Tanks – Financial Assistance:

DWWTS / Septic Tanks must not cause a risk to human health or the environment.

There is a grant available to assist in carrying out remediation, repair or upgrading works to, or replacement of, a DWWTS / Septic Tank. The grant is 85% of the cost of works up to a maximum of €12,000 (this was increased from €5,000 in 2024).

This grant for assisting in carrying out remediation, repair or upgrading / replacement of your DWWTS / Septic Tank is not available to every person/household. It is only available to persons where their property/household falls within one of the following 3 categories:

1. The Septic Tank at the property was inspected under the National Inspection Plan and an Advisory Notice was issued by the Local Authority. Please click on the following link to find out more about the National Inspection Plan - National Inspection Plan.
2. The property is situated in a Prioritized Area for Action in accordance with the Local Authority River Basin Management Plan and a letter has been issued by the Local Authority Waters Programme Office (LAWPRO) on behalf of the Local Authority confirming eligibility. If LAWPRO catchment scientists identify that there is a water quality issue in a nearby river and believe defective DWWTS may cause or make the problem worse, they may provide you with a letter advising you what to do next.
3. The property is situated in a High-Status Objective Catchment Area in accordance with the River Basin Management Plan and has been checked by High Status Objective Catchment Area Map - use the following link to input your Eircode to check if your property is in one of these areas (shaded green) - https://housinggovie.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=17278d05d48e4495a7c47c1bb5443ef5.

Use the following link for details on all the schemes available: www.gov.ie/en/publication/6cc1e-domestic-waste-water-treatment-systems-septic-tanks/

Grant Terms  & Conditions and Application Forms:

Additional information on all Grant Schemes available can be found here and you can access the relevant Terms & Conditions / Application Forms below:

For properties inspected under the National Inspection Plan - Grant Terms & Conditions and Grant Application Form

For Properties within a HSOCA - Grant Terms & Conditions, Grant Application Form and Claim Payment Form

For properties within a PAA - Grant Terms & Conditions, Grant Application Form and Claim Payment Form

Unfortunately if your property does not fall within one of the above 3 categories, a grant will NOT be applicable. The National Inspection Plan is not influenced by complaints and/or by homeowners wishing to upgrade. The selection process is entirely based on environmental risks as specified under the National Inspection Plan.

But if you are based within a High Status Objective Catchment Area or a Priority Area for Action, please avail of the grant when you can as these areas will be subject to change over time and as a result, the opportunity to avail of the grant may not always be present.

Grants will NOT be paid towards the normal costs of ensuring a system is working properly i.e. maintaining, servicing or de-sludging a DWWTS / Septic Tank.

The grant scheme is administered by Leitrim County Council on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

 Additional information on DWWTS / Septic Tanks can be found here and if you have any further queries, you can contact the following:

Environment Department, Leitrim County Council, Park Lane House, Carrick on Shannon, Co Leitrim, N41 RX53

Tel: (071) 9620005 Ext 152 / Email: environment@leitrimcoco.ie