Almost 400,000 households had registered their septic tanks and domestic waste water treatment systems by the deadline of 1st February last, which means that almost 80% of liable households registered by the deadline.

Minister for the Environment, Community & Local Government, Phil Hogan, TD thanked all those households that registered by the closing date of last Friday: "I want to sincerely thank all those householders that registered their domestic waste water treatment systems by the closing date. Once again it is the silent majority that have supported the primary objective of this legislation, which is to enhance and protect public health and the environment in terms of better quality water. Protecting our environment will also have positive economic benefits. Clean water is vital for all sectors of our economy from pharmaceuticals and ICT to the agricultural and food-producing sectors, all of which rely heavily on clean water."

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The Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 introduced a new system of registration and inspection for on-site waste water treatment systems, and requires householders to have their treatment systems correctly maintained so as not to cause a risk to human health or the environment. The introduction of the new system was prompted by a European Court of Justice ruling against Ireland in October 2009. The Department Environment, Community & Local Government is in on-going discussions with the European Commission on the implementation of the legislation to ensure full compliance. The deadline for householders to register was 1 February 2013.

The Minister added: "This is a serious problem that I inherited and unlike the previous administration I prioritised bringing forward the necessary legislation to help solve the problem. I would now appeal to the minority of householders that have not yet registered to comply with the law and register their systems. I commend the vast majority of law-abiding householders who have sent a very clear and strong message to the irresponsible members of the Opposition who advocated breaking the law/"