For detached houses, we pump out septic tanks and build connections to the city network; for apartment buildings and businesses, we maintain pumps and grease separators.
Zasulauks between Āgenskalns and Imanta
Zasulauks is a residential and railway neighbourhood in Pārdaugava (Riga's left bank), between the neighbourhoods of Āgenskalns and Imanta. The main roads are Kalnciema iela and Jūrmalas gatve, and the neighbourhood has the Zasulauks railway station. The buildings are varied: pre-war wooden and brick houses, detached houses, apartment buildings, and railway and commercial areas.
One street can have a house with an old septic tank and, next door, an apartment building connected to the network long ago. That is why, before making an offer, we always check what exactly is on your property and do not recommend a solution based on the address alone.
A detached house with a septic tank: what we see when pumping
Pumping is also a chance to inspect the tank. When it is empty, you can see whether the inlet pipe has broken off, whether there is an overflow between the chambers, whether there are cracks in the concrete walls and whether the cover still bears weight. In an old house, this helps you understand how long the septic tank will last and whether a replacement or a connection should be planned soon.
In Riga, septic tank sludge must be removed at least once a year. If the lid is deep in the yard and the tanker cannot get close, we use a longer hose, so give the distance in metres in your request. Emptying a 4 m³ tank starts from €75, a 6 m³ tank from €90: septic tank pumping in Zasulauks.
Connecting to the city network: an example calculation
If there is a mains sewer in the street, connecting frees you from annual pumping, the register and declarations. Riga's general programme for residential houses reimburses part of the costs, and the support increases with the length of the connection pipe.
| Connection pipe length | Support | Example |
|---|---|---|
| up to 5 m | €1,000 | House right by the street |
| 5–20 m | €1,500 | House in the middle of the garden, 14 m from the inspection chamber |
| over 20 m | €2,000 | House at the back of the plot |
Example: if it is 14 m from the house outlet to the inspection chamber, the connection pipe falls into the middle group, and the support is €1,500. Building the connection pipe costs from €25/m; the total cost is also affected by the depth, surfacing, inspection chambers, documentation and the as-built survey.
Conditions: the connection was built after 8 July 2023, at least one person has their declared residence at the property, there are no debts to Rīgas ūdens (Riga's water utility), and the application is submitted within three years. In neighbouring Imanta, there is also a separate €1,800 programme for the new phase 5 and 6 networks; it does not apply in Zasulauks. All the steps: connecting to the mains sewer.
Rainwater must not get into the septic tank
In old detached houses, the roof gutters are sometimes connected to the same pipe that goes to the septic tank. During heavy rain, the tank then fills up in a few hours, sludge is washed out onto the drain field, and the field clogs. After connecting to the city network, such a connection is not allowed there either, because discharging surface water must be approved by Rīgas ūdens.
The solution is a separate rainwater system leading to an infiltration well in the ground or a storm sewer: rainwater drainage. If the yard already has a drainage well that has clogged: drainage well cleaning.
Cafés and shops along Kalnciema iela and Jūrmalas gatve
For commercial premises on the main roads, the key issue is access: stopping with a lorry on Kalnciema iela and Jūrmalas gatve is not always allowed, so we usually pump out the separator from the yard side or from a side street. In your request, say where the lid is and how to drive into the yard.
A grease separator is cleaned before grease starts flowing into the city network, because Riga's rules prohibit that. The job includes pumping it out completely, cleaning the walls and refilling it with water, priced from €90: grease trap cleaning.
Apartment buildings and basements
For apartment buildings in Zasulauks, our work is usually in the basement. If wastewater from basement rooms is pumped up, the pump tank has to be pumped out from time to time and the floats cleaned; if the pump has stopped, we take it out, check it, and repair or replace it. New sewage pump stations cost from €1,650; repairs: pump repair.
If wastewater has already collected in the basement, we first pump it into the tanker, and only then can the pump be taken out and inspected: basement pumping.
Riga's rules for property owners in Zasulauks
If the property has a septic tank or holding tank, it must be entered in the municipal register, the tank is emptied by a pumping contractor from the department's list, and the certificate is kept for two years. After connecting to the network, you report within a month that the decentralised system is no longer in use.
Sources (checked 30 October 2026): RD-23-207-sn, points 7 and 11 (likumi.lv/ta/id/343520); RD-25-22-sn (likumi.lv/ta/id/365384); Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. 66, points 4, 6 and 26 (likumi.lv/ta/id/304471); Cabinet Regulation No. 384, point 9.1; Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. 17, sub-points 63.9 and 63.11.7 (likumi.lv/ta/id/296134).
In Āgenskalns and Dzirciems the buildings are similarly mixed, in Šampēteris detached houses dominate, and in Imanta the new network has its own co-financing programme. All places: where we work.