Do you hear those sleigh bells ringing? Better check! Those might be septic system alarms that you are hearing over the Christmas holidays. On December 25th, 26th and 27th in Puget Sound and December 22nd, 23rd and 24th out on the Coast, we will be experiencing King Tides. A King Tide is an extreme high tide caused when the normal gravitational pull of the Earth and the moon is amplified by astronomical events - spring tides and perigee (The point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is nearest to the earth). When the spring tides and the perigee occur at the same time you get the perigean spring tides! 

When the high tide occurs it can inundate a septic system, which creates flooding waters that flow, not only into the drain field, but also into other septic system components, such as the septic tank and pump tank. If the pump tank gets inundated with seawater from the tide, the floats could rise to an alarm level. Simply put, that is not good.  As the tide recedes, the floodwater combined with the sewage effluent will retreat into the bay. 

If your alarm goes off, please contact your local onsite sewage system maintenance provider and let them know what is happening, as each site is unique and they can help you with a solution.

For more information about King Tides, go to Washington Sea Grant’s King Tides website and check out the King Tide calendar

For information about septic system operation and maintenance Visit Here

Thank you! Teri King, Washington Sea Grant