Roles and responsibilities in waste water

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the environmental regulator of Uisce Éireann. We issue and enforce authorisations for waste water discharges.  There are approximately 1,100 authorisations nationally. 

Uisce Éireann is responsible for the collection, treatment and discharge of urban waste water in Ireland. If you wish to contact Uisce Éireann with regards to a waste water treatment plant or sewer network, please find their contact details on water.ie

You can find out more information regarding a specific authorisation by going to the waste water licence/permit section.

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities is the economic regulator responsible for ensuring that Uisce Éireann is spending its money properly to improve water services.  If you wish to contact CRU with regards to Uisce Éireann please find details on the CRU webpage

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Do you want to know more about septic tanks and other domestic waste water treatment systems?

Waste water is the polluted form of water generated from rainwater runoff and human activities.  Browse through our environment and you section to read more about domestic waste water.

Browse by Waste water

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Environmental Data Exchange Network (EDEN)

EDEN is the EPA's online web portal for Local Authorities and licensees to communicate with the EPA on numerous applications.

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Latest publications in Waste water

Inspection of a septic tank (Domestic waste water treatment system)
Domestic waste water treatment system inspections 2023

Local authorities completed 1,189 septic tank inspections in 2023, targeted near rivers and household drinking water wells which are most at risk of contamination by faulty septic tanks. 45% of septic tanks failed inspection. It is critically important that householders fix septic tanks that fail inspection as such failures have the potential to be a risk to human health and the environment.

cover page of 2021 Code of Practice
2021 Code of Practice for Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems

This publication will assist authorities, developers, system manufacturers, system designers, installers, and operators to deal with various systems.

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Urban waste water treatment in Ireland during 2022

This report provides an overview of urban waste water treatment in Ireland during 2022. It identifies the priority issues that Uisce Éireann must address to protect our environment from the harmful effects of waste water discharges

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Latest News and Press Releases

in: Wastewater
Two decades is too long to wait to fix Ireland’s deficient wastewater treatment plants, says EPA.

Date released: October 10, 2024

The EPA’s Urban Wastewater Treatment in 2023 report, released today, highlights progress in wastewater treatment, including a 45 per cent reduction in the number of towns and villages discharging raw sewage, since the start of 2023. Nevertheless, wastewater treatment at many areas is not good enough to prevent wastewater discharges from impacting the quality of rivers, estuaries, lakes and coastal waters.

Failure to fix faulty septic tanks is a risk to human health and the environment, and can’t continue, says EPA.

Date released: May 08, 2024

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released the report on Domestic Waste Water Treatment System Inspections 2023 which details the findings of septic tank inspections completed by local authorities in 2023.

Uisce Éireann must use its new investment plan to end pollution of our rivers and coastal waters from waste water

Date released: October 25, 2023

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report Urban Waste Water Treatment in 2022, released today, shows that Uisce Éireann has made progress in stopping discharges of raw sewage over the past year, with the connection of six villages to new treatment plants in 2022.