Apartment block estates, shops and warehouses already use the city network, but some detached houses still collect wastewater in their own septic tank or holding tank, even though the new Cohesion Fund network has been built in the street. Riga supports connecting these houses with €1,800 if the connection pipe is built by 31 December 2026. We build the connection pipe and decommission the old tank, and in the estates and retail buildings we service pump stations and grease traps.
What work there is in the Ziepniekkalns estates and on its streets of detached houses
Ziepniekkalns is a large residential neighbourhood in southern Pārdaugava (Riga's left bank) with an industrial and commercial edge. In the estate buildings, wastewater flows to the street sewer, so there we are called out for basement pumps, courtyard manholes and kitchen separators, not septic tanks.
In the detached-house part, the picture is different. Until a house is connected, its owner is responsible for the tank in the yard: pumping it out, registering it and declaring it. When a city sewer appears in the street, the question arises whether to invest anything more in the old system or to switch over. In Ziepniekkalns, the answer is currently shaped by a deadline.
Warehouses and production buildings on the edge of the neighbourhood usually have a city connection, but they may also have rainwater wells, drainage and domestic tanks at individual buildings.
€1,800 support for connecting to the new network
According to Rīgas ūdens (Riga's water utility), Ziepniekkalns is one of five neighbourhoods where new networks were built in phases 5 and 6 of the Cohesion Fund project. The municipal programme for connections to these networks covers design up to set amounts and pays €1,800 for the construction work. For some groups of residents, for example people with Group I or II disability and large families, the construction work is paid in full; the full list is in point 13 of the regulations.
| Deadline | What must be done by then |
|---|---|
| Before digging | Rīgas ūdens confirms that the property borders a phase 5 or 6 network and issues technical conditions |
| By 31.12.2026 | Connection pipe built, as-built survey done by a land surveyor |
| By 01.04.2027 | Co-financing application submitted to Rīgas ūdens |
The money is paid out after construction. Keep the construction invoices, the as-built survey plan and the service contract, because they will be required together with the application.
What a connection pipe can cost and what is left after the support
Connection pipe construction starts from €25/m. If the house is 12 m from the street, that is at least €300, and for a 30 m connection pipe at least €750. On top of that come inspection chambers at bends, restoring paving or the driveway, a construction specialist's plan and the land surveyor. For a short, straight connection pipe, €1,800 can be enough for most of the construction work.
It is different if the house outlet is lower than the inspection chamber at the edge of the street. Then the wastewater does not flow by itself, and you need a sewage pump station with a pressure pipe; the station alone costs from €1,650, so the total will exceed the support. We find this out during a site visit by comparing the depth of the outlet and of the chamber.
Rainwater from the roof has to be routed separately, because it may not be discharged into the city's domestic sewer without the approval of Rīgas ūdens (rainwater drainage). All the connection steps: connecting to the mains sewer.
If you don't make it by 31 December 2026
The deadline for construction work is 31 December 2026, but Rīgas ūdens says that, with approvals, the whole process usually takes 4–6 months. If you do not have technical conditions yet, start by asking Rīgas ūdens whether the deadline is realistic in your case. We cannot promise it.
If not, find out whether after 2026 the connection will be able to use the general Riga programme (€1,000, €1,500 or €2,000 depending on the length of the connection pipe). The answer depends on the version of the regulations, so rely on a written reply from Rīgas ūdens. If the documents are ready, we also dig trenches in late autumn and winter, as long as the frost has not gone deep.
The old septic tank: until the switch-over and after it
Until the house is connected, Riga's rules remain in force: septic tank sludge must be removed at least once a year, and this may be done only by a pumping contractor included in the Riga Housing and Environment Department's register of pumping contractors. By 1 May, the volume removed in the previous year is declared to the Department. Septic tank pumping in Ziepniekkalns costs from €75 (up to 4 m³).
After the switch-over, we pump out the tank one last time, rinse it and fill it with sand or lift it out. Some owners later use the cleaned tank to collect rainwater for watering the garden; if you plan this, tell us before the work so that the tank is not filled in. The Department is notified within a month that the system is no longer in use.
Rules and deadlines: Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. RD-25-22-sn (points 4, 13 and 17), likumi.lv/ta/id/365384; Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. RD-23-207-sn (point 11), likumi.lv/ta/id/343520; Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. 66 (points 5.6, 6 and 26), likumi.lv/ta/id/304471; Cabinet Regulation No. 384 (point 7), likumi.lv/ta/id/291947; Rīgas ūdens on the neighbourhoods and the duration of the process (rigasudens.lv, lvportals.lv 06.05.2026). Checked 30 October 2026. Programme conditions may change.
Courtyards, shops and warehouses
The courtyards of the estates are large, and the tanker drives in along the yard roads. It needs a place to park without blocking entrances and bin areas, so we ask the property manager to indicate this place in the request. Near Vienības gatve and Ziepniekkalna iela, a large tanker can get in easily, but it cannot stand on a busy main road during working hours.
- For building managers: basement pump cleaning and sewage pump repair.
- For food outlets in retail buildings: grease trap cleaning in Ziepniekkalns, from €90.
- For warehouses and production sites: drainage well cleaning and pumping services for businesses.
In all cases, the Riga price list applies with no per-kilometre surcharge.
Next door
Next to Ziepniekkalns, we work in Atgāzene, Bieriņi, Bišumuiža and Katlakalns. The same €1,800 programme also applies in Imanta and Teika. All places: where we work.