Cu is, John A.
Resea ch Repo
D inking wa e and domes ic was ewa e ea men :
Main enance, pe cep ions, and p io i ies
Resea ch Se ies, No. 195
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
The Economic and Social Resea ch Ins i u e (ESRI), Dublin
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Cu is, John A. (2024) : D inking wa e and domes ic was ewa e ea men :
Main enance, pe cep ions, and p io i ies, Resea ch Se ies, No. 195, The Economic and Social
Resea ch Ins i u e (ESRI), Dublin,
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DRINKING WATER AND DOMESTIC
WASTEWATER TREATMENT: MAINTENANCE,
PERCEPTIONS, AND PRIORITIES
JOHN CURTIS
RESEARCH
SERIES
NUMBER 195
OCTOBER
2024
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D inking wa e and domes ic was ewa e ea men : Main enance,
pe cep ions, and p io i ies
John Cu is
Oc obe 2024
RESEARCH SERIES
NUMBER 195
A ailable o download om www.es i.ie
© The Economic and Social Resea ch Ins i u e
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o Public Expendi u e and Re o m o suppo he scien i ic and public in e es elemen s o he Ins i u e’s
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Fu he in o ma ion is a ailable a www.es i.ie
THE AUTHOR
John Cu is is a Resea ch P o esso a he Economic and Social Resea ch Ins i u e (ESRI) and Adjunc
P o esso a T ini y College Dublin (TCD).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This epo is an ou pu o he Join Resea ch P og amme on Wa e be ween he Depa men o Housing,
Local Go e nmen and He i age (DHLGH) and he ESRI. Thanks o he P og amme S ee ing Commi ee
o guidance on he esea ch, and speci ically o Ma y Gu ie, S ephen McCa hy and Ca oline Mu phy
(En i onmen al P o ec ion Agency); T iona McG a h (An F´
o an Uisce); and anonymous e iewe s o
de ailed commen s and sugges ions on he epo .
This epo has been accep ed o publica ion by he Ins i u e, which does no i sel ake ins i u ional policy posi-
ions. The epo has been pee - e iewed p io o publica ion. The au ho s a e solely esponsible o he con en
and he iews exp essed.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABBREVIATIONS .......................................... VI
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................... VII
1 INTRODUCTION ........................................ 1
2 METHODS ............................................ 3
3 SURVEY FINDINGS ....................................... 5
3.1 D inking wa e ....................................... 5
3.2 Domes ic was ewa e ea men sys ems (DWWTS) .................... 7
3.3 DWWTS inspec ions and emedia ion g an s ........................ 10
3.4 En i onmen al a i udes, knowledge, heal h and p io i ies ................. 11
3.5 Wa e es ing and DWWTS main enance: Mul inominal analysis ............. 13
4 CONCLUSION .......................................... 19
4.1 D inking wa e ....................................... 19
4.2 Domes ic was ewa e ea men sys ems (DWWTS) main enance ............. 19
4.3 Sep ic ank g an scheme .................................. 21
REFERENCES ............................................ 21
LIST OF TABLES
3.1 D inking wa e supply and pe cei ed quali y, % . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.2 D inking wa e es ing among households wi h p i a e well supply, % . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.3 Expe ience o ollowing issues om wa e as comes om ap, % . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.4 Was ewa e ea men and discha ges, % . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.5 DWWTS desludging and se ice equency, % . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.6 Reasons o (no ) desludging in he pas 5 yea s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.7 Expe ience o issues wi h was ewa e sys em o e pas 5 yea s, % . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.8 Resol ing issues wi h DWWTS, % . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.9 Awa eness o g an s o DWWTS emedia ion, % . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.10 Pe cei ed se e i y o po en ial heal h consequences o sub-s anda d d inking wa e o a
mal unc ioningDWWTS,% ................................ 12
3.11 Awa eness o po en ial en i onmen al impac s o mal unc ioning DWWTS, % . . . . . . 12
3.12 Households’ spending p io i ies, % . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.13 Logis ic eg ession: odds a ios es ima es o well wa e es ing & DWWTS desludging . 18
II.1 Logis ic eg ession: odds a ios es ima es o well wa e es ing & DWWTS desludging . 27
II.1 con inued om p e ious page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
LIST OF FIGURES
3.1 Households’ p io i y o social policy issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.2 Households’ p io i y o en i onmen al policy issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.3 Households’ p io i y o en i onmen al and social policy – Median esponses . . . . . . 16
ABBREVIATIONS
CI Con idence in e al
DHLGH Depa men o Housing, Local Go e nmen and He i age
ESRI Economic and Social Resea ch Ins i u e
LAWPRO Local Au ho i ies Wa e P og amme
DWWTS Domes ic was ewa e ea men sys ems
EPA En i onmen al P o ec ion Agency
GDPR Gene al Da a P o ec ion Regula ion
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In oduc ion
The objec i e o his esea ch is o cap u e householde s’ iews and expe iences ela ed o d inking
wa e and domes ic was ewa e ea men sys ems (DWWTS), including public heal h conce ns and expe-
ience accessing he sep ic ank emedia ion g an . Cap u ing da a on he le el o main enance unde aken
by households wi h espec o hei p i a e d inking wa e supplies and DWWTS p o ides insigh on he
ex en o which addi ional policy in e en ions a e equi ed o p o ec bo h public heal h and en i onmen-
al quali y.
D inking wa e es ing
• Mos households sou cing hei d inking wa e om a p i a e well do no egula ly send hei wa e
o labo a o y es ing, as ecommended by he En i onmen al P o ec ion Agency (EPA). Jus one
in i e households wi h a p i a e well supply ha e had hei wa e es ed in he pas h ee yea s.
• The mos common eason gi en o no ha ing wa e es ed is ha he e is no (pe cei ed) p oblem
wi h supplies.
• Cos is no a p ima y eason why households do no send samples o labo a o y es ing.
DWWTS desludging
• Almos one in i e DWWTS we e no desludged in he pas i e yea s.
• Among households ha desludge hei DWWTS, he majo i y a e awa e o he ope a ional bene i
o hei DWWTS o egula desludging, while a subs an ial mino i y a e also awa e o he en i on-
men al p o ec ion bene i s.
• Fo households ha ha e no emp ied hei DWWTS, he p ima y eason o no doing so is a
belie ha i isn’ necessa y. Cos was no indica ed as a signi ican con ibu o y eason o no
unde aking egula main enance o DWWTS.
• Households wi h awa eness o en i onmen al pollu ion isks a e no any mo e likely o ha e hei
DWWTS emp ied compa ed o hose wi hou any awa eness o he pa hways and isks o pollu ion.
• Households wi h ul a iole ligh ea men on hei d inking wa e supplies a e hal as likely o
desludge hei DWWTS as hose wi hou ul a iole ligh ea men .
DWWTS emedia ion
• DWWTSs can mal unc ion o a a ie y o easons bu mos households indica ed ha hey ha e
ne e expe ienced speci ied symp oms o a mal unc ioning DWWTS.
• App oxima ely 10 pe cen o su eyed households had obse ed symp oms o poo ly unc ioning
DWWTS wi hin he pas i e yea s.
3 SURVEY FINDINGS
3.1 D inking wa e
Table 3.1 epo s he sou ce o d inking wa e supply among he su eyed households, which is 55 pe
cen om a p i a e well, 35 pe cen om a public supply, and 9 pe cen om ei he a public o p i a e
g oup wa e scheme. A small numbe o households ei he pu chase bo led d inking wa e , sou ce hei
supplies om ainwa e o don’ know he sou ce o hei d inking wa e . Responden s we e also asked
abou he quali y o pu i y o hei d inking wa e as i comes om he ap, wi h almos ou in i e
esponden s indica ing ha i was ei he good o excellen . Up o 7 pe cen o households wi h ei he a
p i a e well o a public supply said ha he quali y o he wa e om he ap was o poo quali y.
Table 3.1: D inking wa e supply and pe cei ed quali y, %
Excellen Good Fai Poo To al
P i a e well 21 22 8 4 55
G oup wa e scheme 3 4 2 0 9
Public wa e supply 11 16 6 2 35
Bo le/ ainwa e 0 0 0 0 0
Don’ know 0 0 0 0 1
To al 35 42 15 7 100
N=1,822
The En i onmen al P o ec ion Agency (EPA) ecommends ha households es hei well wa e sup-
plies a leas once a yea o mic obiological con amina ion (e.g., E. coli and coli o m bac e ia), and
e e y h ee yea s o chemical con amina ion. Only 36 pe cen o esponden s indica ed ha hey e e
sen hei wa e o labo a o y es ing, wi h jus 19 pe cen o esponden s doing so in he h ee yea s
p io o he su ey, in line wi h he EPA’s guideline o chemical con amina ion es ing, as epo ed in
Table 3.2. Fo hose who e e had hei wa e es ed, he mos common easons o doing so a e ha
he household egula ly unde akes es s, ha hey had a conce n abou he physical appea ance o hei
wa e supply (e.g., odou o discolou a ion), o because i was a equi emen o a g an applica ion (i.e.,
unde he Ru al Wa e P og amme o imp o emen wo ks o a p i a e wa e supply). Only 7 pe cen
o esponden s indica ed ha hey had hei wa e es ed due o illness conce ns ei he wi hin he amily
o locally. Tha he e wasn’ a p oblem wi h hei d inking wa e supply was he mos common eason
o no ha ing hei wa e es ed, as epo ed by one in wo esponden s who ne e had hei wa e es ed.
Up o oughly one in h ee esponden s indica ed ha hey didn’ know how o ha e hei d inking wa e
es ed o ha es ing i was oo much hassle. Be ween 10 and 12 pe cen o esponden s indica ed ha
ei he es ing was oo expensi e o ha hey had o he spending p io i ies.
Table 3.3 epo s households’ expe iences wi h a b oad ange o issues ha occu in d inking wa e
supplies. Se e al o he issues lis ed po en ially ela e o wa e ea men (e.g., chlo ine o de e gen
smell), wa e ha dness (e.g., oily ilm), o e lec he chemical composi ion o he sou ce wa e (e.g.,
5
Table 3.2: D inking wa e es ing among households wi h p i a e well supply, %
% 95% CI
E e es ed d inking wa e ? (N=1,014) 36 +/-3
Reason o es (N=364):
Regula ly es 38 +/-5
Conce n e: odou /discolo a ion 17 +/-3.9
Conce n e: illnesses 7 +/-2.6
Awa eness o local issues 9 +/-2.9
G an applica ion 17 +/-3.9
Tes ed wi hin p io 3 yea s 19 +/-2.4
Lab es s o hose es ed wi hin p io 3 yea s (N=186)
Wi hin accep able anges 80 +/-5.8
No wi hin accep able anges 20 +/-5.8
Recommend disin ec ion 48 +/-17.6
Recommend ea men 52 +/-17.6
Reasons o no es ing in p io 3 yea s (N=233)
No p oblem wi h wa e 52 +/-6.4
Too much hassle 7 +/-3.3
Don’ know how o ge es ed 33 +/-6
Too expensi e o es 12 +/-4.2
O he spending p io i ies 10 +/-3.9
Mul iple answe s we e allowed; answe s do no sum o 100%.
6
me allic as e, blue o g een s ains) and may no necessa ily b each d inking wa e s anda ds. The igh -
hand side o Table 3.3 epo s he p ima y easons why households ha e no had hese issues ixed. The
mos common esponse was ha he issue didn’ su icien ly bo he he esponden , ollowed by no
knowing how o ix he p oblem. The cos o emedia ion o o he spending p io i ies, while impo an
o some esponden s, is less common as a eason o no esol ing he issue. The b oad conclusion
om hese su ey esul s is ha mos households sou cing hei d inking wa e om a p i a e well do
no egula ly send hei wa e o labo a o y es ing. Jus 19 pe cen ha e had hei wa e es ed in he
pas h ee yea s. The compliance a e wi h he EPA ecommenda ion o yea ly es ing o mic obiological
con amina ion is likely o be subs an ially lowe . When households do ha e hei d inking wa e es ed,
i is likely igge ed by some e en ha impac s he appea ance o he wa e o a g an applica ion. The
mos common eason o no ha ing wa e es ed is ha he e is no (pe cei ed) p oblem wi h supplies.
Cos is no a p ima y eason why households do no send samples o labo a o y es ing.
Table 3.3: Expe ience o ollowing issues om wa e as comes om ap, %
% 95% CI
Cloudy 17 +/-1.7
Sedimen 7 +/-1.2 Reasons o no ixing p oblem (N=719)
B own o o ange hue 8 +/-1.2 % 95% CI
Chlo ine smell 13 +/-1.5 Too much hassle 3 +/-1.3
Sulphu smell 3 +/-0.8 Don’ know how o ix 27 +/-3.2
Oily ilm on op s anding wa e 2 +/-0.7 Too expensi e 9 +/-2.1
Me allic o bi e as ing wa e 4 +/-0.9 O he spending p io i ies 11 +/-2.2
Blue o g een s ains in showe s/sinks 3 +/-0.8 Doesn’ bo he me 35 +/-3.5
De e gen smell 1 +/-0.5
Poo wa e p essu e 16 +/-1.7
(N=1,849) Mul iple answe s we e allowed; answe s do no sum o 100%.
3.2 Domes ic was ewa e ea men sys ems (DWWTS)
Table 3.4 p esen s he sha e o DWWTS among he su eyed sample, including hei discha ge loca-
ion. The 76:24 a io o sep ic anks o was ewa e ea men plan s ep esen s an unde - ep esen a ion
o households wi h sep ic anks compa ed o 2022 Census da a, which epo s an 89:11 a io. Gi en he
ocus o in e es ela es o DDWTS main enance ac i i y and associa ed beha iou al mo i a ions, i is
unlikely ha he imbalance in a ios be ween he sample and he wide popula ion would ha e a su icien
impac o subs an ially change he esea ch indings and conclusions.
Table 3.5 epo s desludging equency o bo h sep ic anks and was ewa e ea men plan s, wi h
he la e usually comp ising ea men by ae a ion o biological media. Desludging equency is no sub-
s an ially di e en be ween sep ic anks and was ewa e ea men plan s, so is no epo ed sepa a ely.
Almos one in i e DWWTS we e no desludged in he p io i e yea s. This igu e is b oadly consis en
wi h da a om Naugh on & Hynds (2014), who ind ha 67 pe cen o hei esponden s had p e i-
7
Table 3.4: Was ewa e ea men and discha ges, %
Pe cola ion
a ea Soak pi Su ace
wa e /d ain Don’ Know To al
Sep ic ank 47 20 3 7 76
WW ea men plan 21 1 0 1 24
To al 68 21 3 8 100
(N=1,773)
ously desludged hei DWWTS.2The ecommended equency o desludging depends on ank size and
household occupancy o as ecommended by he sys em’s manu ac u e .
Table 3.5: DWWTS desludging and se ice equency, %
No. o imes
in pas
5 yea s
Desludged (N=1,778)* Se iced
(N=424)**
0 18 17
1 26 25
2 25 23
3 13 15
4 6 4
5 10 13
Don’ know 3 2
100 100
* Includes bo h sep ic anks and ea men sys ems
** Includes ea men sys ems only
Table 3.6 epo s he p ima y easons why households did o did no desludge hei DWWTS du ing
he pas i e yea s. Fo hose who ha e emp ied hei DWWTS a leas once in he pas i e yea s, he
majo i y, a 74 pe cen , do so o ensu e ha i unc ions p ope ly. App oxima ely one-qua e do so o
he p o ec ion o g ound and d inking wa e . Among hose who ha e no desludged hei DWWTS, he
p ima y easons o no doing so a e ha hey eel such ac ion isn’ necessa y o ha hey didn’ know ha
i should be emp ied. The e a e wo clea conclusions ha can be d awn om hese su ey esul s. Fi s ,
among households ha ha e p e iously emp ied hei DWWTS, he majo i y a e awa e o he unc ional
bene i s o egula desludging, while a subs an ial mino i y a e also awa e o he en i onmen al bene i s.
Fo households ha ha e no p e iously emp ied hei DWWTS, he p ima y eason gi en o no doing
so is ‘Isn’ necessa y, wo king ine’. Some households also indica ed ha hey didn’ know ha he ank
had o be desludged. Cos was no indica ed as a signi ican con ibu o y eason o no unde aking
egula main enance o DWWTS. Howe e , as desludging cos s a e ypically e250–300, his would be
2Naugh on & Hynds’s (2014) su ey sampling app oach is subs an ially di e en and he desluding ques ion is no limi ed o
p io 5 yea s.
8
a ba ie o many households e en i hey we e beha iou ally inclined o unde ake egula DWWTS
main enance.
Table 3.6: Reasons o (no ) desludging in he pas 5 yea s
Desludging
(N=1,465)
No Desludging
(N=313)
% 95% CI % 95% CI
To ensu e i unc ions p ope ly 74 +/-2.2 Isn’ necessa y, wo king ine 70 +/-5.1
To p o ec g ound & d inking wa e 24 +/-2.2 Didn’ know had o desludge 16 +/-4.1
Ad ised o desludge egula ly 31 +/-2.4 I ’s no a p io i y 2 +/-1.5
Don’ wan o spend money on i 1 +/-1.1
Mul iple answe s we e allowed; answe s do no sum o 100%
Table 3.7 lis s issues ha a ise wi h imp ope ly unc ioning DWWTS, as well as hei epo ed inci-
dence ac oss he su eyed households. Fo mos households, hese issues ne e a ise. A small mino i y,
up o 3 pe cen , epo hese issues occu ing on a egula basis. Howe e , i is likely ha some o he
issues epo ed as occu ing only occasionally a e long e m issues oo. Fo example, excessi e plan
g ow h, g eyish slime, o was ewa e lying in he ga den indica e se ious mal unc ioning o he DWWTS.
Lea ing aside slow d ainage and odou s, which may e lec pipe blockages and ank en s, a he han
necessa ily a mal unc ioning DWWTS, ac oss he o he issues lis ed, app oxima ely 10 pe cen o su -
eyed households had poo ly unc ioning DWWTS ha equi ed emedial ac ion a some poin in he pas
i e yea s. F om Table 8 we see ha 80 pe cen o households ha e a emp ed o esol e he p oblems
wi h hei DWWTS. Fo hose ha ha e no a emp ed o emedia e a mal unc ioning DWWTS he ma-
jo i y, a 58 pe cen , epo ha he p oblem isn’ ha se e e. People also epo ha i is oo much hassle
o ix he p oblem, o ha hey don’ know how o esol e he issue, while 23 pe cen epo ha he issue
is oo expensi e o ix.
Table 3.7: Expe ience o issues wi h was ewa e sys em o e pas 5 yea s, %
N= Ne e On
occasion
On egula
basis To al
Slow d aining oile s, sinks o d ains 1,756 70 27 3 100
The smell o sewage in ga den 1,739 72 26 3 100
O e low o was ewa e in o ga den 1,734 91 8 1 100
Wa e egula ly lying in he ga den
nea was ewa e sys em 1,735 91 7 1 100
G eyish slime g ow h in nea by d ains 1,712 95 4 1 100
Excessi e plan g ow h nea was ewa e sys em 1,734 87 10 3 100
9
Table 3.8: Resol ing issues wi h DWWTS, %
A emp ed o esol e issues wi h DWWTS, as indica ed in Table 3.7
% 95% CI
Yes 80 +/-2.7
No 20 +/-2.7
(N=844)
Reasons o no a emp ing o esol e DWWTS issues
% 95% CI
P oblem isn’ ha se e e 58 +/-7.5
Too much hassle 5 +/-3.4
Don’ know wha o do 11 +/-4.8
Too expensi e o ix 23 +/-6.4
O he spending p io i ies 15 +/-5.4
N=168. Mul iple answe s we e allowed; answe s do no sum o 100%.
3.3 DWWTS inspec ions and emedia ion g an s
The su ey asked households whe he hei DWWTS had been inspec ed by hei local au ho i y wi hin
he p io i e yea s. Gi en he absolu e numbe o inspec ions unde aken by local au ho i ies each yea ,
he su ey sampling ame, as well as he an icipa ed low esponse a e o he su ey, i was expec ed
ha ela i ely ew households would espond a i ma i ely o ha ques ion. In o al, 107 households
indica ed ha hei DWWTS had been inspec ed by hei local au ho i y in he pas i e yea s, wi h 65
pe cen epo ing ha hey passed he inspec ion wi hou emedial ac ion equi ed. Remedial ac ions
ad ised o hose ha ailed include ceasing discha ge o e luen , epai mechanical o s uc u al de ec s,
di e sion o clean wa e o sepa a e soakaways, and desludging he DWWTS. The EPA publishes mo e
comp ehensi e in o ma ion on DWWTS inspec ions (EPA,2023).
The su ey also asked esponden s whe he hey we e awa e o a g an scheme adminis e ed by hei
local au ho i y o assis in he emedia ion, epai o upg ade o sep ic ank/was ewa e ea men sys ems.
Jus 31 pe cen o esponden s we e awa e o he g an assis ance p og amme. Among esponden s wi h
awa eness o g an suppo , almos hal we e no awa e o he h ee di e en g an schemes, as epo ed
in Table 3.9. While he e is ela i ely li le awa eness o he emedia ion g an scheme, in he e en
emedia ion wo ks a e equi ed, he e is almos uni e sal willingness o conside applying o g an aid
(up o 85 pe cen o app o ed cos s subjec o a maximum o e5,000).3
Ac oss he su eyed households, jus 3 pe cen (50 households) applied o a DWWTS emedia ion
g an . Wi h app oxima ely 200 g an s awa ded pe annum (EPA,2023), a low a i ma i e esponse o
his su ey ques ion was also an icipa ed bu an open-ended ques ion was included o elici eedback on
hei expe ience wi h he g an applica ion p ocess, speci ically p omp ing o iews on he applica ion
p ocess, eligibili y c i e ia and adminis a i e bu den, whe he posi i e o nega i e. All esponses o his
3The maximum g an alue was subsequen ly inc eased o e12,000.
10
ques ion a e epo ed in an appendix o e iew. Wi h a small numbe o esponses, i is di icul o
d aw de ini i e conclusions. None heless, he esponses b oadly epo posi i e engagemen wi h local
au ho i y s a . In se e al ins ances, households app ecia e local au ho i y s a ’s expe ise and guidance
in na iga ing he emedia ion p ocess. This sugges s ha he echnical and enginee ing equi emen s
o sep ic ank emedia ion ep esen a signi ican challenge o some households. Some households a e
eluc an o engage wi h he local au ho i y; one esponden no ed, ‘we we e ea ul in con ac ing he
Council o iginally’. This may e lec ea o wha migh anspi e i hey ac i ely engaged. O e all, his
sugges s ha i would be bene icial o p o ide independen echnical ad ice on emedia ion op ions o
households wi h a poo ly unc ioning DWWTS. O he examples om he e ba im esponses highligh
cases whe e households a e a emp ing o emedia e poo ly unc ioning DWWTS bu adminis a i e ules
p eclude hei eligibili y.4I DWWTS ou lows ep esen a isk o wa e quali y, conside a ion should
be gi en o minimising he numbe o adminis a i e ba ie s acing households ha a e a emp ing o
emedia e hei sys ems.
Th ee pieces o da a om he su ey sugges ha a e iew o he emedia ion g an schemes and
hei eligibili y c i e ia should be unde aken. The e is ela i ely low awa eness o he emedia ion g an
schemes, and almos uni e sal willingness o conside applying o g an aid; whe eas he e a e ew
success ul g an applica ions pe annum. The mo i a ion o he sep ic ank emedia ion g an schemes is
he p o ec ion o he en i onmen and public heal h. I he g an scheme is o be an e ec i e policy ool
o comba en i onmen al pollu ion om sep ic anks and mi iga e public heal h isk, a e iew o he g an
schemes should be conside ed, including scheme objec i es and eligibili y c i e ia.
Table 3.9: Awa eness o g an s o DWWTS emedia ion, %
P io awa eness o g an (N=1,818) 31 +/-2.1
Condi ional on awa eness, knowledge o speci ic g an ypes (N=558)
Following local au ho i y ad iso y no ice 47 +/-4.1
Si ua ed in a P io i ised A ea o Ac ion 9 +/-2.3
Si ua ed in a High S a us Objec i e Ca chmen A ea 8 +/-2.2
No su e/None o abo e 52 +/-4.1
Willingness o a ail o DWWTS emedia ion g an (N=1776)
Yes 67 +/-2.2
Possibly 27 +/-2.1
No 6 +/-1.1
3.4 En i onmen al a i udes, knowledge, heal h and p io i ies
Heal h psychology esea ch o e s insigh in o why people choose o ca y ou ce ain beha iou s, wi h
Rosens ock (1974) being an ea ly in luen ial pape codi ying he Heal h Belie Model. This model posi s
4Since he su ey was comple ed eligibili y c i e ia ela ed o DWWTS egis a ion da e ha e been elaxed.
11
ha o beha iou al change o occu , indi iduals need o eel ulne able o a h ea (e.g., mal unc ioning
DWWTS), belie e possible h ea ou comes o be se e e (e.g., sickness), and belie e in hei own e icacy
o b ing abou desi able bene icial change wi hou conside able cos s. The i s wo o hese ac o s a e
easily in es iga ed wi hin a su ey. Wi hin he con ex o he Heal h Belie Model, De i e al. (2016)
unde ook a small-scale explo a o y s udy o iden i y d i e s and ba ie s o DWWTS main enance among
I ish households. Relying on ocus g oups, hey ind ha mos households ha e a limi ed awa eness o
he po en ial isks associa ed wi h poo ly unc ioning DWWTS, wi h mos epo ing no ha ing a egula
main enance ou ine in place. They conclude ha households’ capaci y o engage in isk managemen
(i.e., egula main enance o DWWTS) is limi ed.
In his su ey, 24 pe cen o households esponded ha he e a e indi iduals wi hin hei amily who,
om a heal h pe spec i e, migh be especially ulne able i hei wa e supply is below sa e d inking wa e
s anda ds o hei DWWTS is mal unc ioning. O e wo- hi ds o households belie e ha he po en ial
heal h consequences would be mode a e o se e e i amily membe s became ill due o ei he sub-s anda d
d inking wa e o a mal unc ioning DWWTS, as shown in Table 3.10. Mode a e was de ined as causing
subs an ial discom o , po en ially necessi a ing a GP isi o p esc ip ion medicines, while se e e was
de ined as majo discom o and pain wi h necessi y o medical in e en ion. In he nex sec ion we
s a is ically analyse whe he households’ pe cep ion o ulne abili y and h ea se e i y is associa ed wi h
a highe likelihood o DWWTS main enance.
Table 3.11 epo s esponden s’ awa eness o he en i onmen al impac s associa ed wi h a mal unc-
ioning DWWTS. Be ween six o se en in e e y en esponden s a e awa e o each o he en i onmen al
impac s lis ed, including pollu ion o g ound and su ace wa e . Jus 13 pe cen esponded ha a mal-
unc ioning DWWTS was unlikely o ha e any subs an ial en i onmen al impac .
Table 3.10: Pe cei ed se e i y o po en ial heal h consequences
o sub-s anda d d inking wa e o a mal unc ioning DWWTS, %
Mild 27
Mode a e 39
Se e e 34
To al 100
N=1,780
Table 3.11: Awa eness o po en ial en i onmen al impac s o mal unc ioning DWWTS, %
% 95% CI
Ponding in lawn po en ially exposing people o sewage & isk o illness 61 +/-2.2
Odou s impac ing on no mal use o own and neighbou s’ ga dens 69 +/-2.1
Pollu ing g oundwa e wa e quali y, po en ially impac ing on d inking wa e 70 +/-2.1
A ec ing su ace wa e quali y, po en ially damaging wildli e/habi a s, e c. 72 +/-2.1
’Unlikely o ha e any subs an ial impac ’ 13 +/-1.5
N=1,849
12
The su ey asked a se ies o ques ions o gauge households’ ela i e p io i y o a ange o bo h pub-
lic policy issues ela ed o he en i onmen and socie y, plus households’ own spending p io i ies. On
en i onmen al and socie al issues, esponden s we e asked how much p io i y he Go e nmen should
de o e o speci ic issues on a se en-poin scale om lowe o highe p io i y. Responses a e illus a ed
g aphically in Figu e 3.1. Mos esponden s a ach a high p io i y o Go e nmen de o ing esou ces o
housing, heal h and cos o li ing. Opinions a e mo e di e se wi h espec o a ic conges ion, immi-
g a ion and li e . Figu e 3.2 epo s esponses wi h espec o en i onmen al policy issues. Pollu ion o
i e s, he biodi e si y c isis and ex inc ion o species a e conside ed wi h ela i e highe p io i y among
a leas hal o households su eyed. A ela i ely small mino i y o esponden s a ach a low p io i y o
hese public policy issues. To compa e esponses ac oss all 12 social and en i onmen al policy issues,
Figu e 3.3 plo s he median esponse, whe e he answe op ions anged om 1: Highe p io i y o 7:
Lowe p io i y. A leas 50 pe cen o households exp essed a p e e ence o ‘highe p io i y’ o public
policy in he a eas o heal h, housing and pollu ion o i e s.
We ocus now on households’ own pe sonal p io i ies in e ms o household spending. Responden s
we e asked o ank nine po en ial household expendi u es. In Table 3.12 we epo he pe cen age o
households ha ank each i em among he op h ee spending p io i ies. No su p isingly, hea ing sys em
main enance is highes , wi h 78 pe cen o esponden s anking i among he op h ee p io i ies. Se ic-
ing he ca also ecei es ela i ely high p io i y. The o he wo expendi u e i ems ha ank highes a e
desludging he DWWTS and labo a o y es ing o well wa e . Fo ins ance, 50 pe cen o esponden s
anked desludging he DWWTS as a op h ee p io i y among he nine lis ed i ems. Howe e , o hese
esponden s, 15 pe cen epo no emp ying hei DWWTS in he p e ious 5 yea s. Wha his la e
s a is ic sugges s is ha esponden s may ha e answe ed his ques ion in a socially desi able manne (i.e.,
ele a ing spending p io i y on DWWTS main enance and well wa e es ing as he su ey was ocused on
hese opics), as he ques ion i sel occu s owa ds he end o he su ey a e he ques ions on DWWTS
main enance and well wa e es ing.
3.5 Wa e es ing and DWWTS main enance: Mul inominal analysis
Ea lie we epo ed da a on labo a o y es ing o p i a e well wa e (Table 3.2) and DWWTS main enance
equency (Table 3.5), as well as he mo i a ions behind households’ es ing and main enance eco ds
(Table 3.2 & Table 3.6). In his sub-sec ion we explo e whe he he e a e any addi ional ac o s associa ed
wi h a highe likelihood o ei he labo a o y es ing o well wa e o DWWTS main enance, including
whe he he Heal h Belie Model has ele ance.
The p oposed analy ical app oach is o es ima e he likelihood o ei he labo a o y es ing o DWWTS
desludging as a unc ion o a ious household ac o s, such as educa ion le els, age, income and house-
hold occupancy. Addi ionally, we include a iables cap u ing a i udes ele an o he Heal h Belie
Model, as well as he a iables discussed ea lie . Modelling esul s a e p esen ed as odds a ios, showing
he impac o a a iable (e.g., ulne able household occupan s om a heal h pe spec i e) on es ing o
13
Figu e 3.1: Households’ p io i y o social policy issues
15 30 45 60 75
Pe cen
.Highe p io i y Lowe p io i y
Housing
15 30 45 60 75
Pe cen
.Highe p io i y Lowe p io i y
Heal h
15 30 45 60 75
Pe cen
.Highe p io i y Lowe p io i y
Cos o li ing
15 30 45 60 75
Pe cen
.Highe p io i y Lowe p io i y
T a ic/Conges ion
15 30 45 60 75
Pe cen
.Highe p io i y Lowe p io i y
Immig a ion
15 30 45 60 75
Pe cen
.Highe p io i y Lowe p io i y
Li e
main enance, e sus a baseline (e.g., no ulne able occupan s). Es ima ion esul s a e epo ed in Table
3.13, which includes only a iables wi h he highes s a is ical ele ance. The ull eg ession model e-
sul s a e epo ed in an appendix. The odds a io es ima es a e a measu e o he associa ion be ween an
exposu e and an ou come. In he con ex o he esul s in Table 3.13, hey ep esen he odds ha ei he
well wa e es ing o DWWTS desludging will occu gi en he p esence o exposu e o a iables desc ib-
ing household cha ac e is ics o belie s, compa ed o he odds o he ou come occu ing in he absence o
ha exposu e.
We s a wi h he well wa e es ing esul s. Households ha possess a wa e so ene a e 2.13 imes
as likely as households wi hou a wa e so ene o ha e es ed hei well wa e in he p io i e yea s.
An odds a io o one would indica e no s a is ical di e ence be ween households wi h o wi hou a wa e
so ene . The p- alue ela es o a wo- ailed es o he hypo hesis ha he odds a io is equal o one. Wa e
so ene s do no p o ide any ea men ha imp o es he sa e y o d inking wa e , especially wi h espec
o mic obial con amina ion. Ul a iole ligh ea men is no mally e ec i e agains i uses, bac e ia and
p o ozoa, hough mic oo ganisms such as C yp ospo idium and Gia dia can be esilien o some ul a-
iole ligh ea men sys ems. Households wi h ul a iole ligh ea men sys ems a e almos 3.7 imes
mo e likely o ha e had hei well wa e es ed in he p io 5 yea s han households wi hou ul a iole
14
he o e all numbe o inspec ions is ela i ely low. A na ional scale, he equi alen annual inspec ion a e
is app oxima ely 1 in 460 p ope ies, which should be subs an ially imp o ed i en o cemen is o ha e
a de e en e ec . Addi ionally, i main enance and desludging eco ds we e in eg a ed in o he P o ec
Ou Wa e sys em, i would p o ide be e da a o assis en o cemen ac i i y.
4.3 Sep ic ank g an scheme
The e a e cu en ly h ee sepa a e g an schemes o suppo households wi h emedia ion cos s o a mal-
unc ioning DWWTS. Gene al awa eness o he g an schemes lies a 31 pe cen o esponden s, which
gi en he na u e o he g an and he ela i ely low numbe o ecipien s (e.g., app ox. 200 in 2022)
is compa a i ely s ong. Howe e , households’ capaci y o dis inguish be ween g an schemes is ela-
i ely low, wi h mos unawa e o he schemes speci ically o P io i ised A ea o Ac ion o High-S a us
Objec i e Ca chmen A eas. E en i a la ge majo i y o households exp essed no awa eness o he eme-
dia ion g an scheme, he e is almos uni e sal willingness o conside applying o g an aid in he e en
emedia ion wo ks a e equi ed.
Among households ha had applied o a g an , hei expe ience o he applica ion p ocess was gen-
e ally posi i e. Wha was no able in he quali a i e eedback om some esponden s is hei app ecia ion
o council s a ’s guidance and suppo in na iga ing he emedia ion wo ks, which o many households
would be adminis a i ely and echnically challenging. Whe e eedback is nega i e, i is gene ally ela ed
o g an ineligibili y c i e ia. In se e al ins ances, esponden s a es o e o s o imp o e hei inadequa e
DWWTS ye being ineligible o g an suppo due o adminis a i e c i e ia.5I DWWTS ou lows ep-
esen a isk o wa e quali y, conside a ion should be gi en o minimising he numbe o ba ie s acing
households a emp ing o emedia e hei sys ems.
Demand o he g an scheme is ela i ely low, wi h app oxima ely 200 g an s p ocessed in 2022.
Wi h he la gely posi i e eedback om g an applican s, he eason o he low g an up ake le els mus
all elsewhe e. I is likely ha mos g an applica ions a e subsequen o a DWWTS inspec ion; i.e.,
en o cemen ac i i y is d i ing emedia ion ac i i y. Al hough councils may ini ia e inspec ions o o he
easons, he cu en scale o he Na ional Inspec ion P og amme is unlikely o gene a e ad iso y no ices
subs an ially beyond he cu en scale o g an applica ions.6
Re e ences
De i , C., O’Neill, E., & Wald on, R. (2016). D i e s and ba ie s among householde s o managing
domes ic was ewa e ea men sys ems in he Republic o I eland; implica ions o isk p e en ion
5The g an scheme ules ha e ecen ly been changed o emo e a p e-2013 egis a ion equi emen .
6In 2022 o he 1,143 DWWTS inspec ions unde he Na ional Inspec ion Plan app oxima ely hal ailed, o which 30 pe
cen we e no main ained and 23 pe cen we e no desludged (EPA,2023), which means ha he balance o hose ailing
po en ially all wi hin he c i e ia o he g an schemes.
21
beha iou . Jou nal o Hyd ology,535, 534–546. (h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.jhyd ol.2016
.02.015)
EPA. (2021). Na ional Inspec ion Plan o Domes ic Was e Wa e T ea men Sys ems 2022–2026. En-
i onmen al P o ec ion Agency, Wex o d. (h ps://www.epa.ie/publica ions/compliance-
-en o cemen /was e-wa e /2022-2026-NIP---Final.pd )
EPA. (2023). Domes ic Was e Wa e T ea men Sys em (DWWTS) Inspec ions 2022. En i onmen al P o-
ec ion Agency, Wex o d. (h ps://www.epa.ie/publica ions/compliance--en o cemen /
was e-wa e /2022-NIP-Repo ---Final.pd )
Hynds, P. D., Miss ea , B. D., & Gill, L. W. (2012). De elopmen o a mic obial con amina ion
suscep ibili y model o p i a e domes ic g oundwa e sou ces. Wa e Resou ces Resea ch,48(12).
(h ps://doi.o g/10.1029/2012WR012492)
Naugh on, O., & Hynds, P. (2014). Public awa eness, beha iou s and a i udes owa ds domes ic
was ewa e ea men sys ems in he Republic o I eland. Jou nal o Hyd ology,518, 108–119.
(h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.jhyd ol.2013.08.049)
O’Boyle, S., T odd, W., B adley, C., Tie ney, D., Wilkes, R., Longphui , S. N., . . . Gu -
ie, M. (2019). Wa e quali y in I eland 2013–2018. En i onmen al P o ec ion Agency,
Wex o d. (h ps://www.epa.ie/publica ions/moni o ing--assessmen / eshwa e -
-ma ine/Wa e -Quali y-in-I eland-2013-2018-(web).pd )
RBMP. (2022). D a i e basin managemen plan o i eland 2022-2027. Depa men o Housing, Lo-
cal Go e nmen and He i age. (h ps://asse s.go .ie/199144/7 9320da- 2e-4a7d-b238
-2e179e3bd98a.pd )
Rosens ock, I. M. (1974). His o ical o igins o he heal h belie model. Heal h Educa ion Monog aphs,
2(4), 328–335. (h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/109019817400200403)
Wi he s, P. J., Jo dan, P., May, L., Ja ie, H. P., & Deal, N. E. (2014). Do sep ic ank sys ems pose a
hidden h ea o wa e quali y? F on ie s in Ecology and he En i onmen ,12(2), 123–130. (h ps://
doi.o g/10.1890/130131)
22
Appendix I
Ve ba im esponses o he ollowing ques ion o household ha applied o a sep ic ank emedia ion
g an : “Could you desc ibe in a ew wo ds you expe ience wi h he g an applica ion p ocess? We’d like
o hea you iews on whe he you ound he applica ion p ocess easy o no , he eligibili y c i e ia, he
applica ion o ms and pape wo k, e c., bo h he posi i es and he nega i es.”
1980 as pa o building house & labo ious.
25 yea s ago bu canno ecollec any p oblems
Applica ion was submi ed and I had no p oblem. My sep ic ank supplie was in aluable in
helping me ill ou applica ion
Easy enough o apply, c i e ia oo s ic as p e ious owne may no ha e egis e ed in ime o
ecei e g an .
Excellen and easy o apply o .
Found he whole sys em e y e y expensi e. The g an didn’ co e 85%. No e en close.
So much expense e en be o e we go o apply o g an . Was mos ly un necessa y and new
sys em is idiculously e asi e pe cola ion a ea akes up ou whole ga den. Ridiculous
Go g an o pe cola ion bu i wasn’ enough money o co e job. I should be inc eased by
a leas 2 housand. Some con ac o s wan ed 12k. Had o wai a yea o ge he money as he
budge was gone o 2022.
G an applica ion was easy and e icien
G an applica ion was s aigh o wa d. The inspec o was e y help ul and ecommended
se e al ins alle s o he sys em ins alla ion. The new ea men sysyem was ins alled as pe
egula ions by a ecommended ins alle , inspec ed on comple ion and ope a ing ouble- ee o
da e. O e all a e y posi i e expe ience.
G an p ocess was ine. I would ha e been help ul o ha e been ad ised ha p io o engaging
a con ac o , I would be esponsible o ensu ing he con ac o had an up o da e ax clea ance
ce i ica e. This has esul ed in an ino dina e delay wi h he g an being paid o e which i am
s ill wai ing o .
G an p ocess was e y good.
Ve y impo an ,
co co should ecommend a lis o app o ed con ac o s o cus ome o choose om as i i mly
belie e ha he e a e a lo o cowboys ou he e.
Had o eplace old sep ic ank o Biocycle ea men one all pape wo k comple ed by ins alle s
and e en ually ob ained g an wi h no oo much issues
Happy
Ha e no complain s on any issue .
I don’ ecall any pa icula p oblems.
23
I ound i e y s ess ul as you had o ge quo a ions om di e en well d ille s and i ook a
long ime o ha e i inalised
I ound he whole p ocess e y easy. Once he in o ma ion ha was asked was gi e he e was
absolu ely no issues. I was ac ually excellen
I ins alled a new ba h oom in my home and ex ension which needed planning pe mission. I
ecei ed e en ion in he no mal way which necessi a ed he upg ade ie. eplace exis ing sep ic
ank . I ins alled a new sep ic ank and pe cola ion a ea a a cos o e10,000. I applied o a
g an o he local au ho i y – Mea h and p o ided all he necessa y suppo ing documen a ion
equi ed. My applica ion was e used and when I enqui ed why, I was old because I did no
ail he sep ic ank es which was ne e ca ied ou .
I missed ou house was buil in 2011 and ank wasn’ egis e ed ill 4-5 yea s ago
I was se ed wi h an Imp o emen no ice in 2005 by Mea h Coun y Council. I was gi en wo
weeks o ec i y he p oblem. While he house and associa ed sep ic ank was buil in 1969
by Mea h Coun y Council, hey e used o en e ain an applica ion o g an assis ance. The
ins alla ion o a eplacemen ea men sys em c/w pe cola ion sys em cos me in he egion o
e10,500.
Mea h Coun y Council e used o communica e wi h me wi h espec o a g an applica ion.
The ou come was ob iously e y negi i e. I p esume he e was no g an a ailable?
Ini ially e icien . P ocess ollowing comple ion and se lemen o awa d one ous, in e icien
and e ec i ely obs uc i e equi ing pe se e ance o see h ough.
I ’s a while ago so don’ emembe de ails. I doesn’ s ick ou as pa icula ly pain ul so mus
ha e been okay.
I ’s okay bu i co e ed e y li le o he o al cos –abou a hi d, I hink. And a hi d o he
g an was spen on wa e es ing necessa y o claim he g an .
I ’s a long ime ago when we pu in ou sys em
I ’s e y good bu i ’s s ill only a sep ic ank which is e y udimen a y ea men .
I lea es sewe age ea men in he hands o homeowne s.
Tha ’s w ong.
Wha ’s eally needed is o he Go . and I ish Wa e o ake on hei esponsibili ies o
p o iding p ope sewe age ea men ha complies wi h he Eu open Di ec i es.
Gweedo e in Co. Donegal is cu en ly being p o ided wi h an inno a i e sewe age ea men
plan .
The expe ience he e should be used o s a an annual p og amme, idding he Island o sep ic
anks.
My applica ion o g an was declined as he sep ic ank was no egis e ed in ime. I acqui ed
he house a e he egis a ion dead line da e.
The sep ic ank is e y old and needs o be eplaced bu I can no do so wi hou g an unding.
No majo p oblems
24
No p oblems
Ok
Posi i e expe ience once we cla i ied co ec add ess. Money was eleased once wo ks we e
inspec ed
P ocess is good. App o ed quickly bu wai ing a bi oo long o he g an .
P ocess e y s aigh o wa d wi h LA
Quick and e icien
Simple
So long since I can’ emembe , bu i was ins alled as pe council ins uc ions 50 yea s ago
S aigh o wa d al hough ende ing well digging con ac o s a e e y selec i e in how hey
p esen hei es ima e quo es so he es ima es a e e y close o max alue o he g an alues.
Upon comple ion o well digging, all he ex as appea wi h he homeowne bea ing a la ge
ex a cos abo e he g an alue.
S aigh o wa d
The applica ion p ocess ook abou 5 mon hs which in ol ed some pape wo k, emails and
calls o he Wa e Se ices Di ision. All o ice s we e e y help ul and ad ised me o wha I
needed o do. I was all ela i ely s aigh o wa d. As he wa e quali y was so poo , I hink
his ul illed he eligibili y c i e ia. I had he wa e es ed and was old he issues wi h i . Had
i es ed again a e he ea men sys em was ins alled o show i was now i o d ink.
The applica ion wasn’ di icul and I can’ say he e we e any nega i es du ing he p ocess :)
The g an applica ion p ocess is easy enough. Suppo ing documen a ion was p o ided by
he Si e Sui abili y Assesso and Wo ks Con ac o . Engagemen wi h he Coun y Council
Inspec o was e y posi i e, help ul and suppo i e.
A olun a y inspec ion egime and inc eased le el o g an aid is ad ised.
The pe son I deal wi h om Mea h Coun y Council was e y sympa he ic o my si ua ion and
was e y accessible when I asked o ad ice o guidance. His p o essional app oach made he
p ocess a lo easie han i migh ha e been.
The p ocess is no e y clea as on he applica ion o ms some o he ques ions asked we e a
bi con using. Also no whe e on he o m was I asked o my bank de ails o in o med as o
when I will be epaid o my wo k done as I had o pay o i when he wo k was ca ied ou .
Also I don’ ha e con ac de ails o someone o upda e me on my epaymen da e?
The p ocess was e y s aigh o wa d... ollowing inspec ion we go and his
c ew who did he job...
My son-in-law and my daugh e landscaped he a ea and sowed a new lawn... now e e y hing
is good & ’s people inspec i annually
Took a ew weeks as wa e had o be sen o he lab wice bu o e all i was wo h i
25
Ve y disappoin ing. My sep ic ank was e y clea ly no i o pu pose. I was inspec ed by he
d ain company and explained my sep ic ank was basically jus a hole in he g ound. When I
asked o he council o inspec o g an pu poses hey e used ci ing i was no dange ous/un i
o pu pose, ye i was less han 5m om a s eam and as abo e s a ed no e en a p ope sep ic
ank. Had o eplace i ully a my own cos
Ve y simple and s aigh o wa d and can emembe as eal issue, albei i is o e 10 yea s ago
now
We a e bo h old age pensione s’. We we e deligh ed o mee , o Mea h
Co Council. immedia ely pu ou minds and explained wha ype would sui us bes . We
ins alled he ecommended sys em and ha e no had a p oblem since. I has been examined
and passed i s es since ins illa ion.
We we e ea ul in con ac ing he Council o iginally
We ha e jus comple ed he wo k and ha e ye o apply o he g an . We a e awai ing he
eceip om he ins alle be o e we can p oceed.
We ins alled an upg ade in 2010. This was p o ided by he local au ho i y as pa o CPO o
pa o ou si e o oad de elopmen .
We needed a new sys em and wan ed o be p oac i e be i e pollu ion occu ed. asked o
assis ance bu e en on appeal we e e used as we had no been Inspec ed. No a ai p ocess a
all.
s aigh o wa d
26
Appendix II
Table II.1: Logis ic eg ession: odds a ios es ima es o well wa e es ing & DWWTS desludging
Well wa e es ing DWWTS desludging
Odds
a io
S d.
e o
p-
alue*
Odds
a io
S d.
e o
p-
alue*
D inking wa e ea men ( e : ea men no used/ins alled)
Wa e so ene 2.13 0.39 0.00 1.41 0.25 0.10
I on & manganese emo al 4.85 1.12 0.00 0.78 0.20 0.26
Ul a iole ligh 3.68 0.99 0.01 0.52 0.15 0.00
pH balancing uni s 1.21 0.81 0.80 6.27 6.64 0.43
Sulphu emo al 1.13 0.46 0.78 0.53 0.22 0.04
Re e se osmosis 0.74 0.20 0.19 0.84 0.23 0.48
Sedimen il e 1.80 0.46 0.08 1.11 0.28 0.70
Ca bon il e 0.61 0.17 0.02 2.01 0.52 0.05
Jug il e 0.27 0.30 0.02 1.69 1.07 0.52
Income (Re : <e2,000/mon h)
e2-3,000 1.45 0.50 0.38 1.33 0.37 0.38
e3-4,000 1.74 0.63 0.24 0.82 0.23 0.44
e4-5,000 1.12 0.44 0.79 1.08 0.33 0.81
e5-6,000 1.53 0.62 0.39 1.76 0.61 0.21
e6,000+ 1.25 0.50 0.62 0.90 0.29 0.74
P e e no say 1.28 0.50 0.57 1.26 0.39 0.51
O e all inancial s a us ( e : “S uggling o make ends mee ”)
“Jus abou coping” 0.72 0.26 0.27 1.39 0.44 0.37
“Li ing com o ably” 0.78 0.30 0.46 1.08 0.35 0.81
Any household occupan s wi h educa ion le el ( e : no occupan s wi h educa ion le el)
P ima y 1.37 0.58 0.53 1.25 0.44 0.57
Seconda y 1.02 0.27 0.95 1.48 0.35 0.17
Unde g adua e 1.21 0.29 0.47 0.99 0.21 0.94
Pos -g adua e 1.30 0.33 0.37 1.20 0.27 0.46
Any household occupan s in age ca ego y ( e : no household occupan s in ca ego y)
18–29 1.10 0.43 0.81 0.77 0.29 0.43
30–49 0.87 0.26 0.61 0.83 0.22 0.42
50–70 1.06 0.30 0.84 1.02 0.24 0.92
70+ 0.88 0.28 0.68 0.46 0.12 0.00
Household membe s ulne able om heal h pe spec i e
Yes 1.29 0.25 0.26 0.94 0.16 0.71
27
Table II.1: con inued om p e ious page
Pe cep ion o heal h consequences o sub-s anda d d inking wa e o mal unc ioning DDWTS ( e : Mild)
Mode a e 0.84 0.18 0.35 1.21 0.21 0.31
Se e e 0.88 0.19 0.53 1.17 0.22 0.42
Pe cep ion o heal h consequences o sub-s anda d d inking wa e o mal unc ioning DDWTS ( e : Mild)
Mode a e 0.84 0.18 0.35 1.21 0.21 0.31
Se e e 0.88 0.19 0.53 1.17 0.22 0.42
Awa eness o en i onmen al impac s associa ed wi h mal unc ioning DWWTS ( e : no awa e)
Ponding in lawn - inc easing heal h isk 0.71 0.17 0.08 0.91 0.19 0.64
Odou s impac ing ga den use 0.63 0.16 0.02 0.99 0.22 0.97
Pollu ing g oundwa e - impac ing well wa e 1.31 0.37 0.41 1.03 0.24 0.90
Pollu ing su ace wa e s - impac ing wildli e & habi a s 0.90 0.24 0.66 0.98 0.23 0.93
“Unlikely o ha e any subs an ial impac ” 0.66 0.21 0.11 0.68 0.18 0.07
Numbe o household occupan s 1.05 0.08 0.50 1.17 0.08 0.03
I ems anked among op-3 spending p io i ies ( e : no anked in op-3)
Hea ing sys em main enance 0.69 0.14 0.02 0.78 0.14 0.12
Home e-deco a ion 1.09 0.27 0.74 0.63 0.12 0.00
Desludge DWWTS 0.75 0.14 0.07 1.90 0.33 0.01
Family holiday 0.82 0.19 0.36 0.92 0.19 0.66
Tes well wa e 1.97 0.41 0.02 0.63 0.13 0.00
Replace household i ems (e.g., TV, e c.) 1.03 0.30 0.92 0.95 0.21 0.82
Ins all ea men on well wa e 1.74 0.36 0.04 0.75 0.16 0.10
Upg ade ki chen o ba h oom 0.62 0.19 0.04 0.60 0.13 0.00
Ca se ice 1.06 0.21 0.79 0.71 0.12 0.01
28
Appendix III
29
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D inking wa e & Was ewa e
ea men
The pu pose o his su ey is o collec you iews and expe iences
ela ed o d inking wa e and domes c was ewa e ea men sys ems
(sep ic anks), as well as public heal h and he en i onmen .
The Economic & Social Resea ch Ins i u e (ESRI) is unde aking his
su ey and he in o ma ion collec ed will unde pin hei esea ch
ela ed o I eland’s wa e esou ces. The ESRI’s esea ch is unded by
Depa men o Housing, Local Go e nmen and He i age (DHLGH).
The ESRI does no hold you con ac in o ma ion. The in i a ion o
pa icipa e in his su ey was issued by you local au ho i y, as he
egis e ed owne o a domes c was ewa e ea men sys em. Su ey
esponses a e anonymous plus any da a you p o ide in he su ey will
only be used o esea ch pu poses by he ESRI and will no be sha ed
wi h any o he o ganisa ion. Read on he ESRI's websi e
(h ps://www.es i.ie/p i acy-policy)how ESRI manages and p o ec s da a collec ed
o esea ch pu poses. Please con ac John Cu is
(john.cu i[email p o ec ed] (mail o:john.cu i[email p o ec ed]?subjec =ASSAP%20 a me %20su ey)) i you
would like u he in o ma ion abou he su ey o esea ch.
The su ey should ake abou 6-10 minu es o comple e. Thanks o
you me and inpu .
The e a e 40 ques ions in his su ey.
You d inking wa e supply
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You egis e ed a domesc was ewa e ea men sys em wi h “P o ec Ou
Wa e ”, possibly as much as 10 yea s o so ago. Wha ype o domesc
was ewa e ea men do you cu en ly use?
Choose one o he ollowing answe s
Please choose only one o he ollowing:
Sep ic ank
Was ewa e ea men plan (usually comp ises ea men by ae a ion o biological
media)
Public sewe
Don' Know
O he
Whe e does you sep ic ank/was ewa e ea men
sys em discha ge o?
Only answe his ques ion i he ollowing condi ions a e me :
Answe was 'Sep ic ank' o 'Was ewa e ea men plan (usually comp ises ea men by
ae a ion o biological media)' a ques ion ' [W1]' (You egis e ed a domes ic was ewa e
ea men sys em wi h “P o ec Ou Wa e ”, possibly as much as 10 yea s o so ago.
Wha ype o domes ic was ewa e ea men do you cu en ly use? )
Choose one o he ollowing answe s
Please choose only one o he ollowing:
Pe cola ion a ea
Soak pi
Su ace wa e /d ain
Don' know
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Sludge mus be emo ed om all sepc anks and domesc was ewa e
ea men sys ems o ensu e ha hey wo k p ope ly. The ecommended
equency o desludging depends on ank size and household occupancy.
How many mes o e he pas 5 yea s ha e you had you ank emped?
Only answe his ques ion i he ollowing condi ions a e me :
((W1.NAOK (/ques ionAdminis a ion/ iew/su eyid/895519/gid/1170/qid/35823) == "A1")
o (W1.NAOK (/ques ionAdminis a ion/ iew/su eyid/895519/gid/1170/qid/35823) ==
"A2") o (W1.NAOK (/ques ionAdminis a ion/ iew/su eyid/895519/gid/1170/qid/35823)
== "A3") o (W1.NAOK
(/ques ionAdminis a ion/ iew/su eyid/895519/gid/1170/qid/35823) == "A4"))
Choose one o he ollowing answe s
Please choose only one o he ollowing:
No emp ied
1
2
3
4
5
Don' Know
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As well as emp ying you ank, how many mes o e he pas 5 yea s ha e
you had you was ewa e ea men plan se iced? (e.g., o fil e
eplacemen , e c
Only answe his ques ion i he ollowing condi ions a e me :
((W1.NAOK (/ques ionAdminis a ion/ iew/su eyid/895519/gid/1170/qid/35823) == "A3")
o (W1.NAOK (/ques ionAdminis a ion/ iew/su eyid/895519/gid/1170/qid/35823) ==
"A4"))
Choose one o he ollowing answe s
Please choose only one o he ollowing:
No se iced
1
2
3
4
5
Don' Know
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Wha a e he p ima y easons ha you had you sepc ank/was ewa e
ea men sys em emped wi hin he pas 5 yea s?
Only answe his ques ion i he ollowing condi ions a e me :
Answe was '1' o '2' o '3' o '4' o '5' o 'Don' Know' a ques ion ' [W2]' (Sludge mus be
emo ed om all sep ic anks and domes ic was ewa e ea men sys ems o ensu e ha
hey wo k p ope ly. The ecommended equency o desludging depends on ank size
and household occupancy. How many imes o e he pas 5 yea s ha e you had you
ank emp ied? )
Check all ha apply
Please choose all ha apply:
Unde s and ha emp ying i ensu es i con inues o unc ion p ope ly
To p o ec g oundwa e and d inking wa e supplies
Was ad ised o ha e i emp ied egula ly
O he :
Wha a e he p ima y easons ha you did no ha e you sepc
ank/was ewa e ea men sys em emped wi hin he pas 5 yea s?
Only answe his ques ion i he ollowing condi ions a e me :
Answe was 'No emp ied' a ques ion ' [W2]' (Sludge mus be emo ed om all sep ic
anks and domes ic was ewa e ea men sys ems o ensu e ha hey wo k p ope ly.
The ecommended equency o desludging depends on ank size and household
occupancy. How many imes o e he pas 5 yea s ha e you had you ank emp ied? )
Check all ha apply
Please choose all ha apply:
Emp ying isn' necessa y, i ’s wo king ine
Didn’ know I had o emp y i
I ’s no a p io i y o me
Don’ wan o spend my money on ha
O he :
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Ha e you expe ienced any o he ollowing issues wi h you was ewa e
sys em o e he pas fi e yea s?
Please choose he app op ia e esponse o each i em:
Ne e On occasion On egula basis
Slow d aining oile s,
sinks o d ains
The smell o sewage
in you ga den
O e low o
was ewa e in o you
ga den
Wa e egula ly lying
in he ga den nea
was ewa e sys em
G eyish slime g ow h
in nea by d ains
Excessi e plan
g ow h nea
was ewa e sys em
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Gi en ha you' e had some issues wi h you sep ic
ank/was ewa e sys em ha e you ac ed o sol e he
p oblems?
Only answe his ques ion i he ollowing condi ions a e me :
-------- Scena io 1 --------
Answe was 'On occasion' o 'On egula basis' a ques ion ' [W6]' (Ha e you expe ienced
any o he ollowing issues wi h you was ewa e sys em o e he pas i e yea s? (Slow
d aining oile s, sinks o d ains ))
-------- o Scena io 2 --------
Answe was 'On egula basis' o 'On occasion' a ques ion ' [W6]' (Ha e you expe ienced
any o he ollowing issues wi h you was ewa e sys em o e he pas i e yea s? (The
smell o sewage in you ga den))
-------- o Scena io 3 --------
Answe was 'On egula basis' o 'On occasion' a ques ion ' [W6]' (Ha e you expe ienced
any o he ollowing issues wi h you was ewa e sys em o e he pas i e yea s?
(O e low o was ewa e in o you ga den))
-------- o Scena io 4 --------
Answe was 'On occasion' o 'On egula basis' a ques ion ' [W6]' (Ha e you expe ienced
any o he ollowing issues wi h you was ewa e sys em o e he pas i e yea s? (Wa e
egula ly lying in he ga den nea was ewa e sys em))
-------- o Scena io 5 --------
Answe was 'On occasion' o 'On egula basis' a ques ion ' [W6]' (Ha e you expe ienced
any o he ollowing issues wi h you was ewa e sys em o e he pas i e yea s?
(G eyish slime g ow h in nea by d ains))
-------- o Scena io 6 --------
Answe was 'On occasion' o 'On egula basis' a ques ion ' [W6]' (Ha e you expe ienced
any o he ollowing issues wi h you was ewa e sys em o e he pas i e yea s?
(Excessi e plan g ow h nea was ewa e sys em))
Choose one o he ollowing answe s
Please choose only one o he ollowing:
Yes
No
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Wha a e he p ima y easons why you ha en' esol ed he
issues wi h you sep ic ank/was ewa e ea men sys em?
Only answe his ques ion i he ollowing condi ions a e me :
Answe was 'No' a ques ion ' [W7]' (Gi en ha you' e had some issues wi h you sep ic
ank/was ewa e sys em ha e you ac ed o sol e he p oblems? )
Check all ha apply
Please choose all ha apply:
The p oblem isn' ha se e e
Too much hassle o o ganise ge ing i ixed
Don' know wha o do
In es iga ed ixing p oblem bu i bu was oo expensi e
O he spending p io i ies
O he :
Sep ic ank inspec ions & emedia ion g an s
In his sec ion we'd like o ask you a ew ques ions abou you sep ic ank/was ewa e ea men
sys em
O e he pas fi e yea s has you was ewa e ea men sys em been
inspec ed by you local au ho i y?
Choose one o he ollowing answe s
Please choose only one o he ollowing:
Yes
No
Don' Know
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Following he local au ho i y inspecon wha we e he emedial measu es, i
any, ecommended o you was ewa e ea men sys em o b ing i back o
p ope wo king o de ?
Only answe his ques ion i he ollowing condi ions a e me :
(S1 (/ques ionAdminis a ion/ iew/su eyid/895519/gid/1171/qid/35839) == "A1")
Check all ha apply
Please choose all ha apply:
Passed inspec ion, no emedia ion ac ions
Cease exis ing discha ge o e luen (e.g., o su ace wa e s, on o he su ace)
Repai mechanical/s uc u al pa s
Desludge he ank o ea men sys em
Di e oo wa e o ya d wa e o sepa a e soakaway
O he :
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Wha is he s a us o he emedial acons ecommended by he local
au ho i y inspec o ?
Only answe his ques ion i he ollowing condi ions a e me :
Answe was 'Yes' a ques ion ' [S1]' (O e he pas i e yea s has you was ewa e
ea men sys em been inspec ed by you local au ho i y? ) and Answe was NOT
'Passed inspec ion, no emedia ion ac ions' a ques ion ' [S2]' (Following he local
au ho i y inspec ion wha we e he emedial measu es, i any, ecommended o you
was ewa e ea men sys em o b ing i back o p ope wo king o de ? )
Please choose he app op ia e esponse o each i em:
Comple ed No ye comple ed
{S2_SQ002.shown}
{S2_SQ003.shown}
{S2_SQ004.shown}
{S2_SQ005.shown}
{S2_o he }
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Wha is he p ima y eason ha you ha en’ been able o implemen he
emedial acons on you was ewa e ea men sys em?
Only answe his ques ion i he ollowing condi ions a e me :
(S3_SQ001 (/ques ionAdminis a ion/ iew/su eyid/895519/gid/1171/qid/35841) == "A2")
OR (S3_SQ003 (/ques ionAdminis a ion/ iew/su eyid/895519/gid/1171/qid/35841) ==
"A2") OR (S3_SQ002 (/ques ionAdminis a ion/ iew/su eyid/895519/gid/1171/qid/35841)
== "A2")
Choose one o he ollowing answe s
Please choose only one o he ollowing:
I’ e ye o ind a sui able con ac o
I ’s no a p io i y o me
I don’ belie e he ecommenda ions a e necessa y
I can’ a o d o ha e he wo k comple ed
O he
A p esen , whe e eligible, g an aid is a ailable up o 85% o
he app o ed cos o he sep ic ank/was ewa e ea men
emedia ion wo ks subjec o a maximum o €5,000. In he
e en you was ewa e ea men sys em needed emedia ion
wo ks, would you seek o a ail o he go e nmen g an
knowing ha you would s ill ha e o pay a sha e o he cos s?
Choose one o he ollowing answe s
Please choose only one o he ollowing:
Yes
No
Possibly
Sep ic ank/was ewa e ea men sys em
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How many people li e in you home (i.e., sleep he e mos
nigh s)?
Choose one o he ollowing answe s
Please choose only one o he ollowing:
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Among he adul s wi hin he household ha a e p ima y decision make s
(i.e., bill-paye s), wha is he highes le el o educaon o aining success ully
comple ed?
Check all ha apply
Please choose all ha apply:
P ima y School
Seconda y school
Unde g adua e deg ee / Diploma / App en iceship
Pos -g adua e deg ee
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Among he adul s li ing wi hin you household ha a e
p ima y decision make s (i.e., bill-paye s), in wha age
ca ego ies a e hey?
Check all ha apply
Please choose all ha apply:
18-29
30-49
50-70
70+
Wha is he app oxima e le el o he ake-home pay wi hin
you household?
We'd like o assu e you once again ha all in o ma ion you
gi e is en i ely con iden ial.
Choose one o he ollowing answe s
Please choose only one o he ollowing:
Less han €1999 pe mon h
€2000 - €2999 pe mon h
€3000 - €3999 pe mon h
€4000 - €4999 pe mon h
€5000 - €5999 pe mon h
G ea e han o equal o €6000 pe mon h
P e e no o say
This means income, a e ax and PRSI, o ALL MEMBERS o he household including
wages, social wel a e, child bene i , en s, in e es , pensions e c.
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Finally, in e ms o you household income, how would you
a e you inancial s a us?
Choose one o he ollowing answe s
Please choose only one o he ollowing:
S uggling o make ends mee
Jus abou coping
Li ing com o ably
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