Each needs something different, from basement pumping to septic tank pumping and the annual declaration. Describe your situation, and we contact you within 5 minutes of your request.
Vecmīlgrāvis by the Mīlgrāvis canal
Vecmīlgrāvis is a large northern residential and port neighbourhood by the Mīlgrāvis canal. It has apartment block estates, low-rise housing, port facilities, warehouses and industrial sites. Mīlgrāvja iela and the railway link the neighbourhood to the centre, and the same route leads on towards Mangaļsala and Vecāķi. Being close to the port, the water and the railway brings its own particular issues with wind, noise and access.
Three customer groups in one neighbourhood
| Building | Usual system | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Apartment building | City sewer, sometimes a pump in the basement | Basement pumping, pump and manhole maintenance |
| Private or low-rise house | City network, or a septic tank or holding tank | Pumping, tank replacement, connection |
| Port or warehouse business | Holding tanks, grease separators, pump stations | Pumping, separator cleaning, certificates |
If you don't know what is on your property, describe in your request what you see in the yard. Tell us how many lids there are, whether a pipe runs from the tank towards the garden and whether your bill from Rīgas ūdens (Riga's water utility) includes a sewerage service. That is usually enough to work out what needs doing.
For private houses: the annual declaration and certificates
Riga's rules on decentralised sewage systems apply to private houses in Vecmīlgrāvis with a septic tank or holding tank. Besides registration and pumping frequency, there is one more duty: by 1 May each year, a written declaration of the volume of wastewater removed in the previous year is submitted to the Riga Housing and Environment Department.
- After each pumping Get a certificate with the address, date, volume and the pumping contractor's details.
- Storage Keep the certificates for at least two years, because they may be requested at an inspection.
- Adding up At the start of the year, add up the cubic metres stated on all the certificates.
- Declaration By 1 May, submit the declaration to the department using the form in Annex 2 to the regulations.
Only a pumping contractor from the department's register may pump out your tank. The minimum for a septic tank is once a year; for a holding tank, the frequency is set by water consumption. For a small tank, the price starts from €75: septic tank pumping in Vecmīlgrāvis.
Sources (checked 30 October 2026): Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. 66, point 5.6 and Annex 2, points 7, 23 and 26 (likumi.lv/ta/id/304471); Cabinet Regulation No. 384, points 9.1 and 18 (likumi.lv/ta/id/291947); RD-23-207-sn, point 11 (likumi.lv/ta/id/343520).
One tank for two houses
In low-rise areas, two houses or the two halves of a semi-detached house sometimes share one septic tank or holding tank. Then it is worth agreeing in writing who registers the system, who requests pumping and how the costs are split. Both owners need a copy of the certificate, because each is responsible for their own declaration.
If one of the houses connects to the city network, the other is left with the whole tank, and the pumping frequency has to be recalculated. Changes are reported to the register within a month.
Apartment block estates: basements and pumps
In estate buildings, our work is usually in the basement. If there is standing wastewater, we collect it in the tanker and deliver it to a reception point instead of pumping it onto the lawn; after that, the property manager can safely look for the fault in the stack or the outlet pipe. More: basement pumping in Vecmīlgrāvis.
If the building pumps wastewater up from its lowest rooms, the pump tank needs pumping out from time to time and the floats need cleaning. On pump stations and their prices (from €1,650): sewage pump stations. Yard manholes can be cleaned on the same visit if there is enough room in the tanker.
Port businesses and warehouses by the canal
Businesses by the canal and in port areas often collect wastewater from staff facilities in tanks, and canteens have grease separators. We empty a larger tank, or several tanks at one address, with a tanker of up to 10 m³, priced from €110. If the site is closed, give the entry procedure and a contact person. More: pumping services for businesses, grease trap cleaning.
Narrow streets and tanker size
Streets in low-rise areas are often narrow, with ditches along the sides or no room to turn around. We choose the tanker by volume and by street: a smaller tanker of up to 4 m³ gets into tighter spots, a larger one empties a big holding tank in one go. In your request, give the street width, whether there is room to turn and how far the lid is from the street.
In winter, narrow streets are not always cleared right up to the yard. If the snow has not been cleared, a heavy tanker may lack grip, so in a winter request say whether the driveway is cleared and the lid dug out.
Connection options and neighbouring areas
If your system does not meet the requirements of the Cabinet regulations and there is a mains sewer in the adjacent street, the regulations required you to connect by the end of 2023. In Riga, the municipality grants one-off support for connecting a residential house: €1,000 for a connection pipe up to 5 m, €1,500 up to 20 m and €2,000 for a longer one. Building the connection pipe costs from €25/m: connecting to the mains sewer.
Next door are Jaunmīlgrāvis, Mangaļi and Vecdaugava, and further north Mangaļsala and Vecāķi. All places: where we work.