We pump out septic tanks and holding tanks (from €75), install sealed tanks and BIO plants in low-lying spots by the Daugava, and service businesses' pump stations and manholes. In your request, say whether a pass is needed to get in.
Voleri: few houses, a lot of port
Voleri is a port and residential area on the left bank of the Daugava, between Iļģuciems and Spilve. Most of the area is taken up by the port, logistics, warehouses and production, while housing here is limited: low-rise houses scattered among the industrial sites.
The Daugava, port activity and low-lying ground shape both the flood risk and the industrial setting. That does not mean a problem at every address, but it changes two things: which tank to choose and what to do after high water.
A house among warehouses: which system suits
A septic tank needs infiltration after the tank, which treats the water in a dry layer of soil. In a low spot by the river there may be no such layer, so on a low-lying plot one of three options is usually chosen.
| Option | When it suits | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Sealed holding tank | Small plot, high groundwater, nowhere to discharge water | Must be pumped out according to consumption; in a low spot, the tank is anchored |
| BIO plant with an outlet to a ditch | There is a ditch or another receiving water, and enough room on the plot | Needs electricity and maintenance; the body is anchored too |
| Connection to the network | There is a Rīgas ūdens (Riga's water utility) network in the street | Riga gives €1,000–€2,000 depending on the length of the connection pipe; if the house is lower, a pump station is needed |
A holding tank with a 2 m³ tank costs from €800, a complete set with installation from €2,200; a BIO plant for 4–6 people from €1,750, installation work from €800; a sewage pump station from €1,650. More: holding tank installation, biological treatment plants and connecting to the mains sewer.
A holding tank by the river: frequency and sealing
A holding tank has no outlet, so the national regulations require it to be sealed and emptied often enough that wastewater does not overflow and no smell arises. In Riga, the minimum frequency is calculated from water consumption; without a meter, 9.125 m³ per year is assumed for each declared resident. For three people that is about 27.4 m³, so a 4 m³ tank has to be pumped out at least seven times a year.
If your tank needs pumping much less often than this calculation suggests, it is most likely leaking wastewater into the ground, and by the river it ends up in the groundwater. After pumping, we inspect the tank and tell you whether it can be repaired or must be replaced. Holding tank pumping costs from €75 up to 4 m³.
After high water: what to do with the tank
- Go easy on the sewer While water is standing in the yard, the tank may be full of river water and rainwater. Use the toilet and shower as little as possible.
- Pumping once the water has receded When the yard has dried out and the tanker can get in, we pump the tank out completely, together with the sand and mud that has flowed in.
- Inspection We check the lid, the vent and the inlet. If the tank fills up again after pumping without any water being used, it is not sealed.
- BIO plant If water got into the compressor compartment, do not switch the plant on until it has been checked; see BIO plant repair.
If the basement was also flooded, we pump the water into the tanker: basement pumping. A damaged tank can be repaired or replaced; see septic tank repair.
For businesses in port and warehouse areas
- For guard huts, warehouse staff facilities and other buildings with their own tank: pumping services for businesses on a schedule.
- For buildings lower than the street network: sewage pump station maintenance and pump repair.
- For yards used by heavy machinery: drainage well cleaning and rainwater drainage.
- For staff canteens: grease trap cleaning from €90.
A business's tank is the same kind of decentralised sewage system as a private house's. It must be registered with the Riga Housing and Environment Department, only a registered pumping contractor may pump it out, and a declaration of the volume removed in the previous year must be submitted by 1 May. Keep the documents for each pumping for at least two years.
Sources: Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. 66 of 19.12.2018 (points 1.1, 4, 5.6, 23 and 26), likumi.lv/ta/id/304471; Cabinet Regulation No. 384 (points 4.4, 4.5, 7 and 9.1), likumi.lv/ta/id/291947; Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. RD-23-207-sn, likumi.lv/ta/id/343520. Checked on 30 October 2026.
Access: Daugavgrīvas šoseja and passes
Voleri is reached via Daugavgrīvas šoseja and the port access roads, which carry a lot of freight traffic, and access is restricted in some zones. If your premises are behind a barrier or in a guarded area, write in your request what has to be arranged for entry, and prepare the permit in advance. For low-rise houses, give the distance from the street to the lid and say whether the yard gets too soft for a heavy tanker after rain.
Within Riga, pumping is charged according to the price list with no per-kilometre surcharge. Nearby places: Bolderāja, Spilve, Iļģuciems and Kundziņsala. All places: where we work.