This neighbourhood near the centre, between Brīvības iela, the railway and Mežaparks, has pre-war masonry buildings, blocks of flats and hospital and other institutional complexes, and all of them get their water from the network of Rīgas ūdens (Riga's water utility). We take the samples, explain the result and install a filter where it is really needed.
Where the water in Brasa comes from
Brasa is not on the list in the Rīgas ūdens 2025 report of neighbourhoods where the water main or sewer is unavailable on certain streets. On the right bank, where Brasa lies, Rīgas ūdens supplies groundwater from Baltezers and Zaķumuiža, where iron and manganese are reduced before supply. The company does not publish separate quality figures for Brasa; the city averages in 2025 were: iron 0.11 mg/l, manganese 0.02 mg/l, hardness 1.82 mmol/l, sulphates 53 mg/l.
So we do not recommend a new spike well (“spice” in Latvian) or borehole in Brasa. Our job here is different: finding out what happens to the water on its way from the street to the tap.
A pre-war masonry building: the street network and the building's pipes
From the street main, water enters the building through the inlet and then reaches the tap through the risers and the flats' pipes. In an old masonry building these pipes may have been replaced in different years, and each section affects what you see in the glass. That is why we plan the check section by section, not with a single sample.
- Sample at the building inlet If the building manager gives access, we take the first sample as close to the inlet as possible. It shows the water as it enters the building.
- Sample in the flat straight away We take the second from the kitchen tap without running it: water that has stood in the pipes overnight.
- Sample after running the tap We take the third once the water has run until its temperature is steady. If the second and third differ significantly, the cause is in the building's or the flat's pipes.
- Explanation We explain the laboratory report and tell you who needs to act: you in the flat, the building manager or Rīgas ūdens.
Which parameters to order depends on what you see: for colour and turbidity, iron and particles; for taste and smell, a wider chemistry package. We describe the sampling rules on the page water testing.
If the test shows that the cause is in the building's pipes, a filter on the flat's tap only hides the problem. The long-term fix is replacing the risers or the flat's pipes, which the building's owners decide on; until then a reverse osmosis filter works for drinking, and it is worth running the morning water off first.
A mechanical filter at the building inlet
If sand or rust particles regularly come through the building's pipes, clogging the mixer tap screens and damaging washing machine valves, the building manager can install a shared mechanical filter after the building's water meter. It is no substitute for replacing the pipes, but it holds back particles before they reach the flats.
- The filter is chosen by the building's peak flow, otherwise it lowers the pressure on the upper floors.
- It needs a bypass with shut-off valves, so the building is not left without water during maintenance.
- The screen or cartridge is flushed or replaced regularly. A clogged filter is worse than no filter.
We charge this job by the hour, from €40/h, and choose the filter together with the building manager. Maintenance schedule: water filter maintenance.
Hospital and institutional complexes
Brasa has large hospital and institutional complexes with many buildings and a long internal network. A facility manager usually needs a check after a renovation, after a new wing is connected or after complaints about the water in some part of the building. We take samples at several points and label them, so that the result shows in which part of the network the difference lies. We agree access to the plant rooms in advance.
Sources: the Rīgas ūdens 2025 contract performance report (Brasa not named among neighbourhoods with partly available services); the Rīgas ūdens “Water abstraction” page; the Rīgas ūdens 2025 quality summary; Cabinet Regulation No. 547 of 26.09.2023, Annex 1 (the limit values the laboratory compares the result with). Checked 03.11.2026.
For a flat: reverse osmosis or nothing
If the test in the flat is good, no filter is needed, and we tell you so. If you want a different taste for drinking and cooking, a reverse osmosis filter under the kitchen sink works, from €250 with installation. Because of the traffic on Brīvības iela and Senču iela we stop the car at the nearest possible spot, but a filter and a sample need no heavy equipment.
Prices and nearby places
Basic test from €35, full test with microbiology from €95, filter installation from €40/h, reverse osmosis filter with installation from €250. For several samples we give the price by the number of points and parameters. The full price list: prices; filter types: water treatment.
Nearby pages: Centrs, Teika, Čiekurkalns and Sarkandaugava. Riga as a whole: Riga; the list of all places: where we work.