BACKYARDS ON THE BAY A yard care guide for the coastal homeowner

BACKYARDS ON THE BAY A yard care guide for the coastal homeowner

SECTION 1: Diagram of good vs. bad backyard on the bay
SECTION 1A: Salt Marsh Diagram
SECTION 2: Evaluation of your yard's impact on the Bay.
SECTION 3: Bay friendly yard care tips
SECTION 4: Coastal Erosion and Seawalls
SECTION 5: Septic Systems
SECTION 6: How to create a buffer of Native Plants
SECTION 7: How to determine if you need a permit

APPENDIX 1: Coastal Buffer
Site Plan
APPENDIX 2:
Native Plant List
APPENDIX 3: Invasive Plants
APPENDIX 4: Planting Guidelines
APPENDIX 5: Sources of Native Plants
APPENDIX 6: Technical Assistance
APPENDIX 7: References and Sources of Information

Section 5: Your Septic system Is It Feeding the Bay?

There are approximately 150,000 septic systems in use for residential wastewater treatment in Rhode Island, many of them in sensitive coastal habitat areas. It is estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 of these systems are failing. Failure of these systems can cause bacterial contamination of swimming beaches and shellfish beds and cause algae blooms in coastal areas which reduces water clarity and contributes to the loss of Bay seagrasses. Follow these steps to ensure your system is not contributing to this problem:

Find out if your home is connected to a public sewer or a septic system:

Call the Individual Sewage Disposal System (ISDS) Division of DEM at 222-2306, your local code enforcement office or your public sewer authority.

Maintain your system:

Have your system inspected annually and pumped as needed (based on use).
Check for plumbing leaks regularly. The most common cause of failure is too much water flowing through the system. Install water conservation devices such as faucet aerators and low-flow showerheads to reduce the amount of water flowing into your tank.
If your system was installed prior to 1968 or if you notice signs of failure such as soggy ground or exceptionally slow drains, you should consider installing a new septic system. For information about alternative septic systems which are more effective at treating the wastewater, visit the website: http://www.edc.uri.edu/cewq/owtc.html

Adopt preventative measures:

Never use harsh or toxic chemicals in or on your plumbing system. Your septic system depends on live bacteria to work properly. Toxic chemicals kill these bacteria.

Chemicals to avoid:

Bleach products such as cleaners and toilet inserts
Drain cleaners containing lye or acid
Septic system "cleaners" containing solvents or acids

Use a safe drain cleaner such as baking soda and vinegar mixtures to clear minor clogs or a plumber’s snake.
Compost kitchen wastes instead of using a garbage disposal.
Only throw toilet paper into the toilet. Other materials can clog the plumbing and leachfield.

Do not feed waterfowl and other wildlife. Feeding waterfowl can cause localized water quality problems due to excess bacteria. Mute swans can appear to be an attractive feature. However, they are not native to New England and are very territorial, driving off many native species of waterfowl.