Septic System Repair
We find out why a septic system is failing and repair the part that failed. That covers septic tanks, distribution boxes, pipes and leach fields across Rhode Island.
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Most homes in Coventry rely on a septic system or a cesspool. The town sewer serves properties along Tiogue Avenue, Sandy Bottom Road, Washington Street and Main Street in the east. The town's 2023 Wastewater Facility Plan counted 715 addresses on it. In the plan's survey of eastern neighborhoods, nearly 12 percent of reported systems were cesspools.
South County Septic and Excavation Services handles septic system installation in Coventry, part of our service area. We design each system for its lot through our septic system design work, for new homes and replacements. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) approves the plans, and then we install the system. Call or text (401) 474-8926, and we look at the job and put the quote in writing.
Tell us about the septic, sewer, drainage or excavation job and where the property is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.
Coventry runs about 14 miles from West Warwick to the Connecticut line, the town's 2026 plan update says. The mill villages of Anthony, Washington, Quidnick and Harris grew up in the east, along the Flat and Pawtuxet Rivers. Central and western Coventry stay rural, with large lots and open land.
Coventry's sewer lines carry wastewater to West Warwick's treatment plant. The 2023 sewer plan proposes no sewers for western Coventry, where it says large lots are well served by septic. Census estimates date about 45 percent of Coventry homes to before 1970. RIDEM notes that most home systems installed after 1970 are not cesspools.
Coventry's sewer ordinance requires homes on a sewered street to connect within a year of the town's official notice. A home with a working septic system that meets RIDEM standards can keep it until the system fails. Then the owner must connect, unless the Town Council grants a waiver. The owner pays for the building sewer, and that pipe is sewer line repair and installation work we do.
About half of Coventry sits on glacial till, a mix of sand and cobbles with scattered boulders. USDA soil maps show more Canton soil in town than any other kind, and Canton drains well. The harder limit is shallow bedrock, which the town's sewer plan calls a restrictive factor. A 2017 town memo cited a high concentration of ledge in the Quidnick area.
The state's onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) Rules set how much soil a leach field needs. Bedrock or a hard, packed layer that holds water back must sit at least 4 feet below the natural ground. The stone under the field must sit at least 5 feet above that layer. Test holes dug for the soil evaluation show where it is.
Wet till is the other limit, and NOAA's Coventry station logs about 52 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Ridgebury and Woodbridge soils hold a high water table, and the sewer plan maps Woodbridge northwest of Johnson's Pond. The stone under a leach field must stay at least 3 feet above the seasonal high water table. Where a lot falls short, fill can raise the field, often with a pump to lift the wastewater.
Tiogue Lake and Johnson's Pond, the Flat River Reservoir, began as mill ponds that powered Coventry's mills. Homes and subdivisions grew up along both, mostly on the town's eastern side. The sewer plan links septic trouble there to small parcels and dense neighborhoods.
Tiogue Lake has a history of blue-green algae blooms and high bacteria counts. A town study named septic systems and cesspools among the likely sources, along with stormwater and animal waste. A review of permit records found 60 septic systems added near the lake from 2012 on, and 41 were repairs.
The plan ranks the area south of Tiogue Avenue, beside Tiogue Lake, first for new sewers. It also proposes sewers by Johnson's Pond and the South Branch of the Pawtuxet River within 20 years. Until a sewer reaches those streets, the homes stay on septic. When an older system backs up, septic system repair starts with finding the cause.
West of Johnson's Pond, most parcels hold single-family homes, with forest on about half the land. Past Victory Highway (Route 102), forest dominates and farms appear toward the western edge. Rural lots rely on private wells, while the Kent County Water Authority generally serves the developed east. Rural residential zoning calls for large lots, sized for both a well and a septic system.
The state rules keep a home's leach field at least 100 feet from a private drinking water well. The septic tank must sit 75 feet away, and the building sewer 50 feet. On a new lot, those distances decide where the house and the well can go.
The town plan cites a state projection of 39,172 residents by 2040, roughly 10 percent growth. Water and wetlands cover about a fifth of the town, the sewer plan says. A leach field cannot go inside a freshwater wetland's regulated area without approval from RIDEM's wetlands program. We clear and grade a new lot around the approved layout as part of our site work.
Communities and areas we serve around Coventry: Anthony, Washington Village, Quidnick, Harris, Arkwright, Coventry Center, Summit Village, Greene, Tiogue Lake, Briar Point, Johnson's Pond, Tiogue Avenue (Route 3).
Coventry ZIP codes served: 02816, 02827.
Coventry is part of our service area. We look at the job first, then put the quote in writing.
(401) 474-8926 We find out why a septic system is failing and repair the part that failed. That covers septic tanks, distribution boxes, pipes and leach fields across Rhode Island.
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We dig the test holes and lay out a septic system that fits your lot's soil. The design package then goes to RIDEM for approval.
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We dig up and replace broken and root-filled sewer lines, from the house to the street or the septic tank. We also lay new sewer lines for homes that tie into town sewer.
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We find and fix leaking or broken water lines between the street or the well and your house. We also lay new water lines for new homes.
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We clear clogged drains and main lines, and we cut tree roots out of the pipe. A camera inspection then shows what caused the clog.
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Excavation for foundations, additions, utility trenches and pads across Rhode Island. The Dig Safe notice goes in first, and the hole is dug to the plan.
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We take a raw lot to a cleared, graded site that is ready to build on. Land clearing, grading, erosion control and gravel access roads are all part of the work.
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We build French drains, curtain drains, footing drains and dry wells for wet yards and basements across Rhode Island. Every job starts with where the water will go.
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Retaining walls in block and natural stone, plus walkways and outdoor stairs. We set each wall on a compacted base, with drainage stone behind it.
Learn MoreReal reviews of our septic and excavation work, 8 reviews on Google.
South County Septic did an excellent job replacing our old septic system and leach-field. Michael surveyed the property, designed a new system, installed and worked with the RI DEM with no issues. I highly recommend this business.
Michael was great! Picked up right away and was able to come within the hour to evaluate. Immediately got into motion additional resources we might need to come that day and solved the problem. Very informative and great to work with. Highly recommend.
Was referred out to Michael after an emergency waterline break that flooded our basement. He was there every step of the way and answered all the questions we had. Michael let us know what was happening during the process and could not have been happier with the outcome. Great price and great customer service! Highly recommend if anyone is in need of their services
Michael was excellent. He replaced a main water mine to my rental property. Prompt, on time and does great work. I am someone who is extremely picky when hiring contractors for anything. He checked a lot of boxes when we first met answering questions and demonstrating his knowledge. Highly recommend!
Great professionalism! Kept to expected deadlines
Excellent service! Did very good and highly recommended!
A few of the questions we hear most around Coventry. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Tell us what the job is and which town the property is in. Call or text (401) 474-8926 or use the form, and photos by text help.
Tell us about the septic, sewer, drainage or excavation job and where the property is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.