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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Richmond is a rural Washington County town of about 8,000 people, with no public sewer anywhere. Every home treats its own wastewater on the lot, and most homes drink from private wells. The town plan says all of the town's drinking water comes from one sole-source aquifer. Some homes still rely on cesspools or other older systems the state no longer permits.
South County Septic and Excavation Services designs and installs septic systems, and Richmond is part of our service area. Our septic system installation work in Richmond covers new house lots and cesspool replacements. Every septic system design goes to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) for approval. Call or text (401) 474-8926 to talk through a Richmond property.
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.
All of Richmond sits in the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed, the most rural major watershed in Rhode Island, the town plan says. The Wood River runs along the west side of town and the Pawcatuck River along the south. The Usquepaugh River forms part of the east line, and the Beaver River and Meadow Brook cross the middle.
Outside Wyoming, most of Richmond is zoned for one home per two or three acres. The town plan says this low-density zoning protects the Wood-Pawcatuck aquifer. It is meant to keep septic systems from polluting the wells that homes drink from.
Some lots also fall inside the town's aquifer protection overlay district. There, the zoning ordinance limits how much wastewater a lot may send into its septic system per acre each day. A design for one of those lots has to meet that town limit and the state's rules.
Federal soil maps from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) show three soils that cover about two acres in five. Canton and Charlton are well drained loamy soils formed in glacial till. Hinckley, on about one acre in eight, is an excessively drained sand and gravel laid down by glacial meltwater.
Water moves fast through that sand, and the state's rules set how close a leach field may come to groundwater. The bottom of the leach field stone has to sit at least 3 feet above the seasonal high water table. In sand the rules rate as Category 1, a standard leach field needs 150 feet from a private well.
Wet ground sets the other limit. The town plan counts nearly 30 percent of Richmond as physically constrained land. Flood zones, wet soils, wetlands and steep slopes all count toward that figure. The plan also notes that poorly drained soils may require more sophisticated septic systems.
Where test holes leave the water table unclear, RIDEM's rules call for wet-season readings between January 1 and April 1. Flooding is a concern too. Richmond's hazard mitigation plan, approved by FEMA in 2018, ranks river flooding among the town's top hazards.
The state's salt pond nitrogen rule covers land that drains to the south coast ponds. Richmond drains to the Wood and Pawcatuck rivers instead, so the nitrogen rule to know here is tied to wells. If a lot or the lot next door has a drinking water well, RIDEM caps the system's design flow. The cap covers new homes and alterations and works out to about one sixth of an acre per bedroom.
On a two or three acre lot, that cap leaves room for a typical house. It matters more on a small lot. A nitrogen-reducing system can raise the allowed flow, and the rules tie the increase to the level of treatment.
The rules also set distances from a private drinking water well. For a house-sized system, the base distance is 100 feet from a leach field and 75 from the tank. Before a new home gets its certificate of occupancy, Richmond wants proof the well meets the state drinking water standard.
About one home in ten gets town water instead, along the main from Wyoming to Richmond Elementary School. The state created that system in the early 1980s, after leaking gasoline tanks polluted groundwater in Wyoming. For a home on a private well, we handle water line installation from the well to the house.
Richmond grew up around mill villages on its rivers, such as Hope Valley, Wyoming, Carolina and Shannock. The Census Bureau estimates one Richmond home in five was built in 1939 or earlier. About 29 percent were built before 1970. RIDEM notes that most home sewage systems installed after 1970 are not cesspools.
Then the town grew. Census figures in the town plan show 803 homes in Richmond in 1970, and the 2020 Census counted 3,173. More than a third of today's homes went up in the 1980s and 1990s.
The state's cesspool law requires replacement within 12 months of a sale or transfer. A failed cesspool has to come out of service within a year of discovery. Under RIDEM's rules, adding a bedroom or a floor makes a cesspool unsuitable, and it must be upgraded. The same goes for a system installed before April 9, 1968.
Some older systems need septic system repair, such as a new leach field. Others need a full replacement, with a new design approved by RIDEM.
Communities and areas we serve around Richmond: Wyoming, Hope Valley, Carolina, Shannock, Wood River Junction, Kenyon, Usquepaugh, Alton, Arcadia, Woodville, Hillsdale, Kingstown Road (Route 138).
Richmond ZIP codes served: 02898, 02892, 02832, 02812, 02894, 02875, 02836.
Richmond 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 Richmond. 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.