Palm Coast relies on 2 different sewer systems within our city. Pep Tanks and gravity systems. Pep stands for Pretreatment Efficient Pumping. Gravity Sewer Systems are a conduit, utilizing the energy, resulting from a difference in elevation (Gravity) to remove unwanted water.
Picture provided by City of Palm Coast Website
If you have a lid in your yard that looks like the picture seen (Top, right) then you have a pep tank buried in your yard, a small pump, and a control panel.
Inside of PEP Tank
This diagram depicts what the inside of your PEP Tank looks like. How the pumps work together to rid our house pipes of solid waste.
The control panel is mounted onto the side of your home. It has a red and green light visible from outside the box. The green light indicates that the system is energized and on. This should always be lit up.
The red light is connected directly to an audio-visual high-water alarm system. If your pump goes out or any malfunction within the system, this alarm will sound. It is recommended to silence the alarm with the silence button on your panel and call the city of Palm Coast immediately; to avoid backups into your home or sewer spillage in to your yard.
During hurricanes or other large storms where power outages occur your Pep tank may loose power to work and pump down the sewage. It is highly recommended to not use high amounts of water when a large storm is hitting. Better to make preparations before the storm arrives, getting all laundry and dishes done before the power goes out.
CITY OF PALM COAST
Recommends that we all do our part in keeping our systems running and maintained. By doing the following
It is the responsibility of each home owner or tenant to supply and maintain the connection of the household sewer line to the pretreatment tank as well as a dedicated 115-volt, single phase, 20-amp circuit with a continuous supply line to feed the control panel located on the side of your house. (Most homes are already set up for all this) To avoid sewage backups into your home:
AVOID FLUSHING THESE ITEMS DOWN THE TOILET
- PLASTICS OF ANY KIND
- SANITARY NAPKINS/CLOTH WIPES
- CIGARETTE BUTTS
- CONTRACEPTIVES
- EXCESSIVE GREASE
- COFFEE GROUNDS- GOOD FERTILIZER IN YOUR POTTED PLANTS OR PLANT BEDS
- FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS
- ANY AMOUNTS OF CHEMICALS
- PRESCRIPTION MEDS OF ANY KIND
Frequently asked Questions
Q: Can I plant landscaping around or on top of the pretreatment tank?
A: NO, there are specific guidelines and no planting zones that home owners must follow to allow the city access to the tank to perform maintenance. The no planting zone also helps protect the pretreatment tank.
Q: What do I do if I have an alarm?
A: Should the PEP system malfunction, the red light will come on and an audible alarm will sound. Call the Utility Department customer service at (386) 986-2360. Do not panic, but please reduce the amount of water usage until the problem has been corrected.
If you want to learn more about these systems you can visit the City of Palm Coast website https://www.palmcoastgov.com/customer-service/peptankinfo
