In this small Pārdaugava neighbourhood between the railway, Torņakalns and Bieriņi, detached houses, low-rise buildings, car services and a few apartment blocks stand side by side. We pump out septic tanks and holding tanks, empty workshops' domestic wastewater tanks and build connection pipes to the city network. Pumping up to 4 m³ costs from €75.
What is in Atgāzene's yards
There is no single typical property in Atgāzene. A detached house may be connected to the city sewer, or it may have a septic tank with infiltration or a simple holding tank, and you can't tell from the street. At a workshop or car service by the railway, wastewater from the toilets may also end up in its own tank.
If you don't know what you have on your property, check three signs:
- Your bill from Rīgas ūdens (Riga's water utility) includes a sewerage charge: the house is most likely connected to the network.
- There is one lid in the yard and no pipe runs from it further into the garden: this is usually a holding tank, which has to be emptied completely every time.
- There are two or three lids, and behind them a drain field or a soakaway well: this is a septic tank with infiltration.
Comparison and how to choose: holding tank or septic tank.
Access: the railway and Vienības gatve
Vienības gatve and the nearby main roads link Atgāzene with the centre and the Mārupe direction, but the railway splits the area, and that decides which road can be used to reach a particular address. The streets in the low-rise blocks are narrower than the main roads, so in your request it is worth writing:
- Which street the entrance to the yard is from and whether the gate is wide enough for a truck.
- How many metres it is from where the tanker can park to the lid.
- Whether the lid is under paving, lawn or a car parking space.
A long distance to the lid is not an obstacle, because hoses can be joined. It does, however, affect the working time and therefore the price.
Car services and workshops: what we pump out
For a business with a toilet and a holding tank, we pump out the tank and after each visit issue a certificate with the address, date and volume removed, which can be shown at an inspection. In Riga, a legal entity can be fined up to 280 penalty units for breaching the decentralised sewage rules.
The contents of an oil and petroleum product separator are not domestic wastewater, and they are handed over to a hazardous waste operator. We only remove domestic wastewater from toilets, sinks and showers. More detail: pumping services for businesses.
Low-rise blocks with a shared tank
Atgāzene also has low-rise and individual apartment buildings. If the wastewater from such a building goes into one shared holding tank, the building's owners or the manager they have authorised are responsible for emptying and registering it, not each flat separately.
In Riga the minimum emptying frequency for a shared tank is calculated the same way as for a private house, there are just more declared residents. Without a water meter, 9.125 m³ a year is assumed for each declared person: for eight residents that is 73 m³ a year, and a 10 m³ tank must be emptied at least eight times. For a larger tank we use a vehicle with a tank of up to 10 m³, so that one trip is enough.
If the tank regularly overflows or has to be pumped every few weeks, it is worth comparing the costs with a connection to the city network, if there is one in the street.
Connecting to the city network: how much the municipality covers
If there is a mains sewer in the street, the owner of a residential house can receive Riga co-financing for a connection built after 8 July 2023. The amount depends on the length of the connection pipe:
| Connection pipe length | Co-financing | Typical situation |
|---|---|---|
| up to 5 m | €1,000 | House close to the street |
| 5–20 m | €1,500 | House in the middle of the plot |
| over 20 m | €2,000 | House at the far end of the plot |
The application is submitted to Rīgas ūdens within three years of construction. With us, building the connection pipe costs from €25/m, and after connecting we empty and decommission the old tank. All the steps: connecting to the mains sewer.
Riga rules for septic tanks and holding tanks in Atgāzene
- Registration: the system must be registered with the Riga Housing and Environment Department, a new system within a month of construction.
- Frequency: septic tank sludge is removed at least once a year, a holding tank as often as water consumption and its volume require.
- Pumping contractor: pumping may only be done by a company listed in the department's register of pumping contractors.
- Declaration: by 1 May, information on the volume removed in the previous year is submitted.
If the system is not registered yet, you can still do it now. How to fill in the application: septic system registration. Septic tank pumping in Atgāzene follows the published price list with no travel surcharge, because the neighbourhood is within Riga.
Sources: Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. 66, points 4, 7–9, 23, 26, 5.6 and 30 (likumi.lv/ta/id/304471); register of pumping contractors (mvd.riga.lv); Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. RD-23-207-sn, points 7 and 11 (likumi.lv/ta/id/343520). Checked 30 October 2026.
Nearest neighbourhoods
Neighbouring areas: Bieriņi, Torņakalns, Ziepniekkalns and Šampēteris. All places: where we work.