Spike well, borehole and filters in Imanta - detached-house lines after the new water main, and the large housing estates

The network in Imanta was built in several stages

• Cohesion Fund stage 5, which also included Berģi and Beberbeķi: in August 2022 Rīgas ūdens reported more than 10 km of new water main in Imanta, and the networks were commissioned on 11 August 2023.
• Stage 6, which also included Ziepniekkalns and Teika: the area around the Imantas līnijas, Nīcas iela and Vārves iela.
• In 2025 Rīgas ūdens also completed the extension in the parts of Imanta not included in stages 5 and 6, and renewed water mains.

The report does not name the streets where services are still partial and does not distinguish the water main from sewerage. Before deciding, check your address with the Rīgas ūdens “Service availability” form.

The old borehole after connection: plug it or keep it

Once a house has switched to city water, the old borehole often stays in the garden, with or without a pump. If you will no longer use it, the regulations require the borehole to be mothballed or decommissioned. An unfilled borehole is an open route by which surface water and pollution can reach the aquifer that the neighbours also use.

1. Removal We lift the pump, cable and rising main out of the borehole, and check the depth and whether there are obstructions in the pipe.
2. Filling We fill the borehole with plugging material, such as bentonite or cement grout, so that the aquifers are separated and water no longer flows along the pipe.
3. Report We draw up a borehole decommissioning report, signed by the client and the contractor, and a copy is sent to the State Geological Fund (LVĢMC).

Decommissioning is a use of the subsoil for which the contractor applies for a licence from the State Environmental Service (VVD) (state fee €35.57). The regulations do not say directly whether a licence is also needed for a shallow borehole up to 20 m, so we clarify this before the work. We price the plugging after hearing the situation: it depends on the borehole depth and diameter, what has to be removed and the condition of the pipe. More: borehole decommissioning.

If you want to keep the borehole for watering, you can, but only as a separate system: Riga's binding regulations forbid connecting the borehole network to the city water main, including through the house's internal pipes.

A spike well or dug well kept for the garden

After connection, a shallow spike well is usually kept for watering: a surface pump and a separate tap in the garden are enough for it. If it has not been used for years and gives little water, we flush it or replace the filter; we give the price once we know what has happened: spike well cleaning. For a dug well (concrete-ring well), a tightly closed lid is enough, and it can be cleaned before the watering season (from €150).

Where there is no network yet: your own source

For houses that still have no service pipe, the same solutions work as outside the city. A spike well (from €350) is cheaper if the ground is sand and the water is no deeper than 7–8 m from the pump. A borehole (from €65/m) reaches a deeper aquifer and usually gives steadier water all year. We cannot promise the amount and quality of water in advance; drilling and a water test show that. Comparison: borehole or dug well.

In Imanta's blocks of flats: a filter and a water test

Rīgas ūdens states that most left-bank consumers receive Daugava surface water, taken from the reservoir of the Riga hydroelectric power plant (Rīgas HES) and treated at the “Daugava” station at Bauskas iela 209. A flat on city water does not need whole-house iron removal.

• For drinking water: a reverse osmosis filter under the sink, with installation from €250.
• Limescale: a water softener with installation from €600, if the flat has space and a drain for the backwash water.
• If the tap water has changed colour or taste: a water test from €35 shows whether the cause is in the city water or the building's riser.

Access and prices

Imanta has a railway line, and the wide areas inside the blocks change the route to a particular house. In your request, say which street gives access and whether the drilling rig can drive onto the plot. Imanta is a Riga neighbourhood, so there is no call-out fee. All prices: prices.