Lucavsala is an island in the Daugava with parks, event grounds and allotments, where there are few permanent buildings and the gardens are used seasonally. We install spike wells from €350, clean and disinfect wells and spike wells after floods, and take water samples.
The water main in Lucavsala: what we know and what we do not
The 2025 report of Rīgas ūdens (Riga's water utility) does not mention Lucavsala separately. Among the small neighbourhoods where services are not available or only partly available, the report names the “Salas” (Islands) neighbourhood, and Lucavsala is part of Salas. However, the report does not say which part of the neighbourhood it refers to, so we cannot claim that the gap is in Lucavsala itself.
Rīgas ūdens also does not write separately about which source supplies city water to the islands: it divides its water sources only by the banks of the Daugava. In practice, for an allotment holder this means one thing: if there is no tap in the garden, ask the allotment manager or landlord whether there is a water connection nearby. If there is not, water for watering has to come from a source on site.
Before the spike well: who owns the land
If the allotment is leased, first agree the spike well installation with the landlord, because the lease may set out what may be built on the land. In the regulations a spike well counts as a water abstraction borehole, while wells and boreholes are first-group engineering structures, and Cabinet Regulation No. 253 (engineering structures) requires an explanatory memorandum (paskaidrojuma raksts) at the municipal building authority (būvvalde) for a new structure. The VVD infographics describe this step differently, so check it with the Riga building authority.
A licence from the State Environmental Service (VVD) is not needed for a spike well if it is no deeper than 20 m and no more than 10 m³ per day is taken from it. For an allotment with watering, that is far more than you need.
Why a spike well in particular? A dug well needs a shaft dug and concrete rings delivered, and it takes up more space than an allotment usually has free. A borehole for watering is disproportionately expensive, and deeper than 20 m it also needs a licence and a borehole passport. A spike well is a narrow pipe with a filter, it takes up a few tens of centimetres, and it only needs a surface pump, which you can take home in autumn.
Floodplain and floods: what to do after flooding
Lucavsala lies on the Daugava floodplain, and the risk of flooding is one of the main conditions of this place. When the garden floods, river water can get into a spike well or well through the top or along the pipe. For watering this is rarely a problem, but if you also use the water to wash your hands or vegetables, the source needs sorting out after a flood.
- Pump out Once the water has receded, we pump the spike well or well until the water runs clear. If the spike well filter is clogged with silt, we flush it.
- Disinfect We disinfect the well or spike well and then pump it out again: well disinfection.
- Test After disinfection we take a sample. In Cabinet Regulation No. 547 on drinking water, the reference value for E. coli and coliforms is 0; if they are found, the source is used only for watering for the time being.
So that the next flood does less harm, we bring the top of the spike well above ground and compact the soil around the pipe, so water does not run down along it. The pump at the allotment should be raised or removable.
A seasonal garden: empty it in autumn, start it up in spring
Allotments in Lucavsala are used seasonally, so the pump and pipes spend the winter unattended. In autumn we disconnect the surface pump and take it somewhere warm, empty the pipes and close off the top of the spike well. In spring we connect the pump, prime it with water and check that the spike well has not clogged. If the water comes weakly or with sand, flushing the spike well may help; we price it after hearing the situation: spike well cleaning.
More about the system for a seasonal house: spike well for a summer house and winterising the water supply system.
Access on event days
The Salu Bridge junctions give Lucavsala good access, but during large events the traffic on the island changes. A spike well needs only small machinery, but we still choose a day when there are no events on the island, so we can drive up to the garden. In your request, write the allotment number or location and whether a car can reach it.
Services and prices in Lucavsala
- Spike well in Lucavsala: from €350, usually €350–650; pump extra.
- Well cleaning: from €150, with disinfection; also after floods.
- Water testing: basic from €35, full with microbiology from €95.
- Water pump installation: a surface pump or a pump station for the spike well.
Sources: Rīgas ūdens, contract performance report for 2025 (Lucavsala not mentioned; “Salas” among the small neighbourhoods, part of the neighbourhood not stated); the Rīgas ūdens page “Water abstraction” (sources by riverbank); LBN 222-15, point 64; Cabinet Regulation No. 500, Annex 1; Cabinet Regulation No. 253, 6.² 1; the law “On Subterranean Depths”, point 2 of the first part of Section 11; Cabinet Regulation No. 547, Annex 1. Checked 03.11.2026.
Nearby places: Zaķusala, Torņakalns, Krasta rajons and Bišumuiža. All neighbourhoods: Riga.