Plumbing and Septic Service in Wellington, FL

Sewer or septic, and who supplies your water

The Acme Improvement District owns and operates Wellington's water and wastewater utility, and the Village Council serves as Acme's board. Its FY2024 annual report lists 19,133 active sewer accounts, more than 230 miles of gravity and force mains, and 106 lift stations feeding a 6.5 MGD water reclamation facility. In 2017 the village scheduled a contractor to clean and video-inspect sewer lines in 13 neighborhoods, among them Lakeshore Heights, Sunset Point, Montauk Village and Wellington Downs.

Septic tanks and private wells turn up mainly on equestrian and large-lot land. In 2014, owners in the southern part of Saddle Trail Park, south of Greenbriar Boulevard, backed a special assessment to pave roads, improve drainage and bring in village water mains. In a 2015 survey on the Equestrian Preserve Area, 83% of responses favored extending potable water into the EPA. The FY2024 report shows about 1,600 more water accounts than sewer accounts, though irrigation and commercial meters may explain part of that gap. With no official septic count for the village, we check each property.

A local realtor guide says most homes west of State Road 7 get village water, while some addresses east of SR 7 and a few pockets are on Palm Beach County Water Utilities. Acme's service area also reaches into unincorporated county land, so check your utility bill, not your mailing address.

Wellington homes and the problems they develop

Charles Oliver Wellington bought about 18,000 acres of swampland here in the 1950s. In 1972 the county approved the Acme Drainage District as a planned unit development, starting with Lake Wellington, a golf course and the first neighborhoods. Realtors describe most single-family homes as concrete block and stucco built from the mid-1970s on, though some houses in Palm Beach Little Ranches, off Southern Boulevard, date to the 1950s.

In 1970s and 1980s houses, original drain piping is often worn, and cast iron corrodes from the inside until scale catches paper and grease. On a slab, a supply leak under the floor can run for months before it shows up as a high bill or a warm spot on the tile. Equestrian properties add barns, guest quarters and wash racks to the load.

Rain, canals and water quality in an inland town

Wellington sits about 16 feet above sea level, with the Loxahatchee refuge to the southwest and the L-40 levee, built in 1952-53, holding back Everglades floodwater. Heavy rain, not storm surge, is the local threat. Tropical Storm Isaac dropped nearly 18 inches on the western communities in 2012, and Wellington stores stormwater in swales rather than curb-and-gutter drains. In dry periods Acme draws from the C-51 West Canal under a state permit to hold canal levels up, which also helps recharge the wellfields.

A saturated drain field has nowhere to send effluent, so tubs drain slowly and toilets gurgle. Pumping a tank in high groundwater can let it shift or float, so after a big storm we check conditions before we pump. For a new system, check the current FEMA flood map. The August 2014 revision put most Wellington structures in lower-risk Zone X, but maps change.

Village water comes from 18 wells in the surficial aquifer and goes through lime softening and membrane treatment. The utility is moving to 100% nanofiltration, and a 2024 plant presentation listed PFAS removal as one benefit. That work is still underway. A private well draws from the same aquifer with no plant treatment, so test it before you buy a filter or softener.

Septic care on horse farms and large lots

Most septic tanks need pumping every 3 to 5 years. A barn bathroom, laundry or wash rack draining to the house tank pushes you toward the shorter end. Keep trucks, trailers and horses off the drain field, since the weight compacts soil and cracks pipe.

The Florida DEP has run the state's septic program since July 1, 2021, but in Palm Beach County, Department of Health staff still issue septic permits and do inspections under DEP direction. Drain field replacements and new installs go through that office.

• Wet, spongy ground over the drain field in dry weather
• Sewage odor near the tank or field
• Several drains slowing at once
• Gurgling toilets after heavy rain

Services for Wellington homes, farms and businesses

We cover septic systems on acreage, and drains, sewer lines and water lines in sewered homes and businesses.

• Septic tank pumping for homes and barns
• Septic inspections, including real estate inspections
• Drain field repair, replacement and rejuvenation
• Septic and drain field hydro jetting
• New septic system installation
• Sewer camera inspection and sewer line repair or replacement
• Drain cleaning and hydro jetting
• Leak and slab leak detection
• Cast iron pipe rejuvenation
• Tank and tankless water heaters
• Water line repair
• Water filtration and softeners, including for private wells
• 24/7 emergency plumbing

What to expect when you call

Live dispatch answers (561) 970-9282 around the clock. LCI is a Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor, license CFC1427175, with 32 years of plumbing and septic experience and a 4.7-star rating from more than 950 Google reviews. We own our pump trucks and excavation equipment, so a drain field dig does not wait on a rental. You get an upfront price before work begins.

Tell dispatch if you are on septic or sewer, and where the tank lid is. On farms, a gate code and directions to the barn help the crew find the right spot.

Buying or selling property in Wellington

Before closing, confirm the water provider and whether the house is on sewer or septic. On equestrian property, ask for septic permits, past inspection reports and a drain field map, and find out whether the barn drains to the same system. We do real estate septic and sewer camera inspections.

Wellington's 2020 water supply plan included bringing septic and well users onto the village system, but not as a mandate. In a 2020 Town-Crier report, the utilities director said the only connection requirement was a Department of Health rule that applies once a water main fronts a property. Ask the village what applies to your street now.