In Baloži, apartment-block courtyards sit alongside new detached-house neighbourhoods at the edge of the forest, and each needs something different. If there is already a mains network in your street, the connection can be partly or fully covered by Ķekava Municipality co-financing.
Where Baloži has septic tanks and where it has mains sewers
Baloži is a southern suburb of Riga with apartment blocks in the historic part and detached-house development spreading towards Titurga and other new residential areas. Wastewater from the apartment blocks is usually collected by the town network. In detached-house neighbourhoods where the network has not yet been built or the house is not connected, septic tanks, holding tanks and BIO plants do the job.
Around Lake Titurga and in damper parts of the forest, groundwater can be high. There a plastic tank is secured with anchors, and a drain field without a raised bed often does not work, so a BIO plant discharging into a ditch or a sealed holding tank is more practical. Solutions: septic tank for high groundwater.
Connecting to the network and Ķekava Municipality co-financing
Water services in Baloži are provided by the company Baložu komunālā saimniecība. If the network runs along the street past your plot, start by finding out from the water utility whether you can connect and what the technical conditions are. After that come the connection pipe documentation, construction and an as-built survey.
Ķekava Municipality Binding Regulations No. 14/2023 (with amendments in force from 06.03.2026) support connecting residential houses to the water supply and/or the sewer, covering up to 100% of the costs within these limits:
| Situation | Maximum support |
|---|---|
| One detached or semi-detached house | €2,500, once per property |
| At least two more properties can use the connection | €5,000 |
| Apartment building with three or more flats | €5,000 |
In the new neighbourhoods, the second row matters. If neighbours build a shared branch that several houses can use, the amount available is twice as large. Applications are accepted within 60 days of a municipal announcement, support depends on the year's budget, and certain groups of residents have priority. On 30 October 2026 we found no open application round on kekava.lv, so keep an eye on the announcements.
We build the connection pipe from the house to the connection point (from €25/m), install inspection chambers and, if the house is lower than the network, a sewage pump station (from €1,650). Keep the estimate, invoices and as-built survey for the support application. The whole process: connecting to the mains sewer.
What happens to the old septic tank after connecting
After connecting, the old tank should not be left full in the ground. We pump out and rinse the septic tank or holding tank, and after that it is backfilled with sand or dug out if the space is needed for a terrace, a driveway or the garden.
The municipal rules require changes to a system to be reported to the municipality within a month. Connecting to the network is also a change, so after signing the contract with the water utility, send a notification so that the register holds the correct data for your property.
Septic tank pumping in Baloži: courtyards, new neighbourhoods and forest roads
Baloži borders Riga, so the travel surcharge (~€1/km for the road beyond the Riga boundary) is small. We drive to Baloži through Ziepniekkalns, and at peak hours this route is often busy. A bigger issue than the road is parking the tanker: in apartment-block courtyards the parking spaces are taken, the streets in the new detached-house areas are narrow, and at the edge of the forest the road can be soft. In your request, write where the tanker can park and how far the lid is from there.
For a holding tank in Ķekava Municipality, the minimum emptying frequency is calculated from water consumption and the tank volume; without a meter, 1.5 m³ per person per month is assumed. For a family of three that is 4.5 m³ a month, so a 6 m³ tank has to be emptied at intervals of just over a month. If you need it emptied far less often than that, check whether the tank is watertight.
For a septic tank, the municipality sets a minimum: at least once a year. Septic tank pumping in Baloži up to 6 m³ costs from €90, up to 10 m³ from €110. On frequent emptying: holding tank pumping.
Apartment blocks and shops
Apartment block managers and ground-floor commercial premises need different work. Cafés and food shops with a kitchen must clean their grease trap regularly (from €90). Basement pumps and pump stations need maintenance, and if a pump has stopped, sewage pump repair helps. For a basement flooded after heavy rain: basement pumping.
The rules in Baloži in brief
Baloži has no separate rules: since November 2022, Binding Regulations No. 20/2022 have applied across the whole of Ķekava Municipality. The register is kept by the municipality, and the declaration can also be submitted at the Baloži customer service centre at Uzvaras prospekts 1a. The owner of a BIO plant submits a maintenance confirmation by 1 June, while the pumping contract or receipt is shown on request. Pumping may only be done by a pumping contractor registered in the municipality. Full description: on the page about Ķekava.
Next to Baloži
To the north, beyond the boundary, Riga begins, and the nearest neighbourhood is Ziepniekkalns. To the south-east is Ķekava, to the north-west Mārupe, and further south-east Baldone. All places: where we work.