Septic tanks, pumping and sewerage in Dreiliņi - new builds and retail sites

Dreiliņi: a neighbourhood still being built

Dreiliņi lies on the eastern edge of Riga, and both residential and commercial areas are developing fast here. Next to new apartment projects there are detached houses, hypermarkets, warehouses and open yards, while Lubānas iela, Biķernieku iela and the roads along the city boundary link them with the rest of Riga and the region.

For wastewater, a setting like this means three different kinds of client: people who are only just building a house, businesses with kitchens and yards, and owners of detached houses that already have a septic tank or a biological plant. Each of them has their own section below.

Sewerage for a new build in Dreiliņi: three options

1. The connection already reaches the boundary If Rīgas ūdens (Riga's water utility) has built a connection up to the boundary of your plot, Riga's rules require a new build to connect. We then lay a gravity pipe or, if the fall is not enough, a pump station up to the control manhole.
2. The network is planned but not yet built In such areas the building code allows a sealed holding tank that is emptied by tanker for an individual house. It is worth pointing the house outlet and the pipe towards the street, so that the connection later is short and cheap.
3. No network is planned That leaves a septic tank with infiltration if the soil filters, or a biological treatment plant discharging to a ditch or into the ground. A plant for 4–6 people costs from €1,750, with installation from €800.

Before you choose, ask Rīgas ūdens for the technical conditions and look at the geotechnical survey report, which shows the soil composition and the groundwater level. More on the order of steps: sewerage for a new build.

On the building site: portable toilets and temporary tanks

While a house or a project is being built, there is no sewer yet, but there are workers. Portable toilets and the tanks of site welfare containers must be pumped out regularly, and the document must show the site address. On a large site it is worth agreeing a schedule, so that pumping does not clash with concrete or material deliveries and the tanker has a clear way in.

More: portable toilet pumping and septic tank pumping services for businesses.

Hypermarkets, warehouses and catering

• For catering outlets in retail buildings: grease trap cleaning from €90, because in Riga wastewater containing fats must not be discharged into the mains sewer.
• For warehouse yards: drainage and rainwater well cleaning and rainwater drainage, so that rainwater does not overload the foul sewer.
• For buildings that sit lower than the street network: pump station servicing and pump repair.

The wide yards and big streets usually let us work with a larger tanker of up to 10 m³ (from €110), so several separators or wells at one address can be emptied in a single trip.

Access to building sites and warehouses

Lubānas iela and Biķernieku iela take even a large tanker, but in Dreiliņi the last hundred metres to the lid are often a site road: gravel, mud after rain, temporary fences and gates that are open only during working hours. In your request, tell us where to drive in, whether the road will bear a lorry and who will open the gates on site.

In warehouse areas with pass-controlled access, arrange a permit for the vehicle in advance. If the lid is under a loading yard, choose a time when no trailers are parked over it.

Existing detached houses: septic tank and BIO plant

For detached houses that already have their own system, Riga has a simple minimum: septic tank sludge must be removed at least once a year, and sludge from a biological plant as often as the manufacturer's documentation says. Septic tank pumping in Dreiliņi costs from €75 for up to 4 m³, BIO plant maintenance from €160. If a network has been built in the street next to you, compare this with a connection, for which Riga grants €1,000–2,000.

Registering a new system

For a new build with a septic tank, holding tank or BIO plant, the registration application must be submitted to the Riga Housing and Environment Department within one month of construction or commissioning. The form is on mvd.riga.lv and latvija.gov.lv; you can send it by post or electronically with a secure e-signature. For a factory-made plant, keep the conformity documents, because state regulations require them, as well as operation according to the manufacturer's documentation.

Nearest neighbourhoods: Pļavnieki, Mežciems, Brekši and Jugla. All places: where we work.