Septic tanks that are still working, and the ones that are not
Parts of Longwood have spent the last decade moving from septic tanks to sewer, but a current list of the neighborhoods still on septic is not published where we could find it. If your yard has a concrete or plastic lid, a drain field or a tank riser, you are probably still on septic. Your water bill and the city's Public Utilities office can confirm it in one call.
A failing tank gives clear warnings. Slow drains in every room at once, a gurgle when the washer drains, a sour smell near the lid and soft green ground over the drain field all point to a full tank or a clogged outlet. Stop running laundry and long showers, because every gallon you add pushes more wastewater toward the surface.
Longdale, South Longwood and the lakes the sewer work protects
The city's South Longwood project took 240 septic tanks out of service and added more than 3 miles of gravity sewer. A later phase around Longdale Avenue retired about 219 more, finishing near the end of 2021, according to the national clean-water association NACWA. In 2017 the state environmental agency sent the city over $2 million to connect 350 or more properties near Lake Ruth, Lake Wildmere and Fairy Lake, all draining toward Lake Jesup.
A city project page also listed an East Longwood phase of about 120 properties, with construction estimated for March 2023, and we could not confirm where it stands. If your street was part of any of these, ask the city whether your house was connected, and have the old tank pumped and filled or removed so it cannot collapse or leak.
Before we arrive in Longwood
Stop adding water
Pause the dishwasher and washing machine and keep showers short. On a backed-up line or a full septic tank, every flush sends more water to the lowest drain in the house.
Keep people off the wet spot
Sewage in a tub, floor drain or yard is a health risk. Keep children and pets away, wear gloves and boots for any cleanup, and do not run a vacuum over standing wastewater.
Close the water main if a pipe is spraying
The shutoff is usually at the house wall or in the meter box. Turn it clockwise until it stops. If it will not move, do not force it. Tell the dispatcher so we bring the right tools.
Photograph before cleanup
Take pictures of the water line, the affected floor and the meter reading. Insurers ask for them, and the pictures also help the plumber trace where the water came from.
Our emergency line answers around the clock, so a dispatcher can talk you through these steps while the truck is on its way. If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 first, then your gas utility.
Water mains, boil notices and what the city owns
The city draws its water from five wells, 300 to 500 feet deep, according to its 2022 water quality report, and the city's own financial report says its utility serves certain areas, not the whole city. Some addresses may be on another provider, so look at the name on your bill before you decide whom to call about a street leak.
Main breaks do happen. A line failed at North Grant Street and Winding Oak Lane in March 2023 and was fixed in about an hour, per ClickOrlando. In 2026, news reports described a boil-water notice of up to 48 hours in the Lake Searcy Shores subdivision, and a later main break that the city blamed on fiber installation work. After any notice, run cold taps for a few minutes, flush the ice maker line and swap filter cartridges.
Tell a street leak from a leak on your side
Ten minutes at the curb saves a wasted emergency call.
- Lift the meter box lid. Water welling up around the meter or on the street side points to the city's water department.
- Shut your own main valve, then watch the small low-flow dial on the meter. If it still spins with every fixture off, the loss is on your side of the line.
- Look for a lawn strip that stays green and soft in dry weather, or a warm patch on a slab floor. Both can follow a buried line.
- Ask the city who owns the sewer lateral at your address. We found no published answer for Longwood, so do not assume.
- Call 811 before any digging, at least two full business days ahead, so buried gas, power and water lines are marked.
Older houses around the Historic District and Skylark
The Longwood Historic District covers about 190 acres near SR 434 and CR 427 and lists 37 contributing structures, with homes and a church from the 1870s and 1880s. Most houses around it are far newer, since the city grew mainly in the 1960s through the 1980s. A build year does not reveal the pipe material, so we open a cleanout or run a camera before saying what is in the wall.
City reports also list replacement of an old asbestos-cement water main in the Skylark area and a water main on SR 434. Street work like that can stir sediment or change pressure at the house. If water runs brown after a nearby project, run the cold tap at the lowest fixture until it clears, and call us if it does not.
Storm water near Lake Oaks and Penelope Drive
After Hurricane Irma in 2017, homes off Lake Oaks Boulevard stayed flooded for weeks. Hurricane Ian in September 2022 flooded more than 1,000 homes across Seminole County, and Longwood photos showed water on Penelope Drive near E E Williamson Road. We could not find a Longwood-only count.
Floodwater pushes sewage up through floor drains and low toilets, and it can drown a water heater burner or electric element. After water has been inside, leave the heater off until it has been inspected. Ask for a camera look at the lateral before you tear out drywall, because a damaged line will flood the room again.
Longwood jobs and who to ask about permits
Septic hookups, root-choked laterals and broken sewer lines go through sewer line repair, while a slow main drain is a job for hydro jetting. A pipe failing between the meter and the house is covered under water service line repair, and wet spots with no obvious source start with locating the leak without opening the floor.
The city's Building Division, at (407) 260-3486, issues plumbing permits and says a permit is needed before any plumbing work. We found no line that addresses water heaters specifically, so call before a planned swap. Our 24/7 crews also work in nearby Maitland and Casselberry.
Map of Longwood, FL
Longwood plumbing questions
Yes. ZIP 32750 is the downtown side with City Hall on West Warren Avenue, the Historic District, Longdale Avenue and Reiter Park. ZIP 32779 covers the west and north side, and the post office also lists Wekiva Springs as an alternate name for it. The state park with a similar name is in Apopka, not Longwood. ZIP 32752 is a PO box ZIP with no street delivery.
Yes. Call (407) 964-8940 at 2 a.m. or on a holiday and a dispatcher answers, then sends a licensed plumber north from Altamonte Springs. Jobs that can wait a few hours may get a same-day slot, depending on the schedule.
Look for a lid or riser in the yard and a drain field, and check whether your bill includes a sewer charge. The city has converted hundreds of tanks in recent years but does not post a street list that we could find, so call Public Utilities to confirm.
The tank should be pumped and then filled or removed, and the house plumbing is tied to the new lateral. Work like that needs a permit, so ask the Building Division at (407) 260-3486 what is required before work begins.
Water coming up in the street or around the meter is the city's to fix, so call Longwood Public Utilities first. Anything past the meter and inside your lot line is ours. If you are not sure whose it is, call us and we will help you sort it out.
The city says a permit is required before any plumbing work, but we did not find a rule that names water heaters. Call the Building Division at (407) 260-3486 to confirm. If your tank has already failed, call us first and we will tell you what to ask.
We could not find a published answer for Longwood. Ask the city's utility office, and have a camera run on the line so you know exactly where any damage sits.
Air and loosened sediment in the pipes cause it. Run the cold tap at the lowest faucet for several minutes and flush the ice maker line. If it stays discolored for more than a day, call the city's water department.