A new sewage treatment system which could ease planning permission for one-off houses is to be tested in Co Tipperary.
Costing € 11.8 million the pilot project, which was launched by Minister for the Environment Dick Roche, will be tested in a number of small villages and hamlets in Tipperary north and south council areas.
Although not part of the pilot scheme, a new wastewater collection and treatment system for Terryglass is also included in the contract to optimise construction and operating costs.
The new treatment method is a result of research carried out by Dundalk Institute of Technology and the Department of the Environment. It involves primary filtration on site before wastewater is vacuumed to a percolation area.
Describing it as a "milestone project" Mr Roche said he hoped the pilot scheme would "produce cost-effective solutions that can be used in many other small towns and villages".
The Minister said he was aware of the difficulties of disposing of septic tank effluent, particularly in environmentally sensitive areas and places with poor ground conditions.
Known as Steds - Septic Tank Effluent Drainage System - the method retains existing septic tanks on-site and drains the effluent through a special filter prior to transferring it by small bore pipe to a small package treatment plant.
Some 26 households in Killtillane, near Templemore, will be the first in the country to use a Steds system. They will be followed by projects in Clonmore, Loughmore, Upperchurch, Clonoulty, Cullen and Hollyford.
The pilot scheme will also assess the benefit of providing a service for septic tanks in more outlying areas that cannot be directly linked to the new sewerage schemes.
The scheme, if successful, could eliminate one of the major environmental concerns relating to one-off houses.
Mr Roche said he was keenly aware of the implications of the project, adding "it will serve as a model for many other communities up and down the country".
