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Critical Resource Area Boundary Tool
The following guidance is provided to assist property owners, licensed designers, licensed installers, and other interested parties in making an initial determination on whether an existing or proposed Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (OWTS) is located within the Salt Pond or Narrow River Critical Resource Area. The Department has created a map showing the critical resource area (CRA) boundaries that can be viewed using Google Earth. The CRA map allows interested parties to view the CRA boundary superimposed on an aerial photograph and street map.
The CRA boundary depicted on this website tool is a red line that in most locations is intended to define the upper boundary of the Salt Pond and the Narrow River CRA watershed. In some locations, such as Route 1 in Wakefield, the line is shown along a roadway and may not represent the upper watershed boundary. In the latter instances, the roadway is accepted as the CRA boundary for the purposes of the OWTS Rules. In all other cases, the CRA boundary must be determined based on suitable reference points or topography on the property. In the case of existing home sites or other developed properties, DEM will generally accept the CRA boundary as referenced to a building or other clearly visible features on the property as shown on this website. In the case where no suitable references are evident, such as on undeveloped property or where the location of the CRA boundary line with respect to a proposed OWTS is not clear, the watershed boundary line must be determined in the field based on pre-development topographic contours.
Designers are instructed to represent the CRA boundary line on any proposed OWTS construction permit plan where the CRA boundary line exists on the property or within close proximity to the proposed OWTS.
In order to use this tool, you will first need to have Google Earth installed on your computer. Google Earth software is free and is available here.
- Click HERE to open the file "owtsline.kmz" in Google Earth. If the file doesn't open automatically, and it asks if you want to download it as a zip file, cancel the download. Right click on the link, and save it (save target as) to your computer with the kmz extension (.kmz). You can then open Google Earth manually, and open the file from its saved location.
- A line representing the CRA boundary will appear and the view will zoom to show the full extent of both the Salt Ponds and Narrow River Critical Resource Areas.
- Find your property on the aerial photograph. Road names will become visible within the CRA as you zoom in.
- If your septic system (existing or proposed) is located within the delineated Critical Resource Area, you are subject to the denitrification requirements in the OWTS Rules.
Contact Jon Zwarg at jonathan.zwarg@dem.ri.gov or 222 4700 ext. 7205 with questions.
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