Retaining Walls
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.
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French drain installation moves water away from where it collects, like a soggy lawn or a seeping basement wall. As a drainage contractor, South County Septic and Excavation Services builds drainage systems across Rhode Island. We install French drains, curtain drains, footing drains and dry wells for homes and commercial properties. Catch basins and regrading are part of the work too.
Every drain needs somewhere to send the water, so the plan starts with the outlet. We also handle septic system installation, so drains on a septic lot get planned around the leach field. North Kingstown sits at the center of our service area, which covers the whole state. 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.
A French drain is a trench filled with stone around a perforated pipe. Water seeps into the stone and enters the pipe, which carries it downhill to the outlet. We run French drains through low spots and along driveways where water collects.
A curtain drain is a French drain dug across a slope, uphill of the spot it protects. It catches groundwater moving downhill before the water reaches the house or the wet part of the yard. Water that pools after a storm points to a French drain or new grading. Water that seeps out of a hillside points to a curtain drain.
Curtain drains also come up in septic work, under rules from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM). One that lowers groundwater for a leach field is tracked through a wet season, January 1 to April 15. Then RIDEM can review the septic system design that relies on it.
NOAA's Kingston station averages about 53 inches of rain and melted snow a year. At Kingston, March is the wettest month and July the driest. A yard that drains in July can hold water in March.
North Kingstown's wastewater plan puts most of the town's main soils in the two groups that soak up water best. Low ground near wetlands and floodplains usually has soils that take in water slowly. The plan also maps over 1,450 acres of Carlisle muck, wet at or near the surface most of the year.
In Narragansett, the most common soils formed in dense glacial till, USDA soil data show. In Stissing soil, water can perch on the dense layer and rise to within a foot of the surface. Water that high usually points to a curtain drain, since a dry well needs room below it to drain.
A wet basement can start outside, at the footing or at a downspout that empties beside the wall. The state building code calls for footing drains around a concrete or block basement that holds back soil. Foundations on well-drained sand and gravel are exempt.
The same code wants the ground to drop at least 6 inches within 10 feet of the foundation. We regrade ground that slopes back toward the house. Downspouts get tied into pipe that carries roof water to a dry well or to lower ground. New grades for a whole lot fall under site work and grading.
The state's stormwater rules describe a dry well as a stone-filled pit for clean roof runoff. Dry wells suit small drainage areas and soil that lets water soak in. RIDEM's septic rules set 25 feet between septic parts and a dry well. On a house lot, a dry well built to the state stormwater manual can sit 15 feet away.
Call or text for a written quote. We work about 40 miles around North Kingstown across all of Rhode Island.
(401) 474-8926From the first call or text to the finished work, here is how it goes.
Call or text (401) 474-8926 and tell us the town and the job. Photos of the problem or the lot help.
We come out to see the site and how a machine gets in. On a problem call, we look for the cause first.
The quote comes to you in writing, with the work spelled out. A septic design goes to the state for approval before the install.
After a Dig Safe (811) call, the utilities mark their buried lines before any machine digs. Then we do the work the quote describes.
Where we dug, we backfill and grade, and we tell you what we did. A new septic system goes into use once the state issues its Certificate of Conformance.
Common questions about drainage systems around North Kingstown and the rest of Rhode Island. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
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.
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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.
Learn MoreWe install conventional septic systems and advanced treatment systems, such as nitrogen-reducing units. The soil and the state's rules decide which one fits the lot.
We take on small residential repairs and large commercial site work. On new construction, we work closely with the builder and the engineer.
We look at the job before we price anything. Then the quote comes to you in writing, and the work starts once you say yes.
Real 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
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.
