Water testing in Maskavas forštate - wooden and brick buildings in the Latgale neighbourhood

Maskavas forštate, now the Latgale neighbourhood

Maskavas forštate is a historic suburb south-east of the centre. In May 2024 the neighbourhood's official name was changed to “Latgales apkaime” (the Latgale neighbourhood), and in the documents of Rīgas ūdens (Riga's water utility) it is now called “Latgale”. The area has pre-war wooden and brick houses, courtyard buildings, the market and commercial areas near the railway.

In the Rīgas ūdens 2025 contract performance report, Latgale is listed among the neighbourhoods where in some areas or streets the services are not available or only partly available, without naming the streets. The same report says that water main networks in the Latgale neighbourhood were renewed in 2025.

In a courtyard house, the water can change on the way

For a courtyard building the inlet from the street can be long and run under the courtyard, and in an old building the internal pipes may be of different years and materials. The parameters published by Rīgas ūdens describe the water in the network, but a tap sample shows what ends up in your glass after that whole journey.

• If the test shows iron above 200 µg/l while the city average is much lower, the cause is often the house pipes, and a filter is only a temporary fix until the pipes are replaced.
• If the iron level is low but you do not like the taste, a carbon or reverse osmosis filter in the kitchen helps.
• If hardness bothers your kettle, a reverse osmosis tap for drinking water is often cheaper than a water softener for the whole house.

If the tap water is cloudy or rusty

1. Run the tap Let the cold water run until its temperature stops changing. If the water turns clear, the cloudiness was most likely in the pipes near the tap.
2. Compare Ask your neighbours in the same building and the building next door. If everyone's water is cloudy, the cause may be in the network, and Rīgas ūdens announces it.
3. Check the aerators Unscrew the mixer tap's aerator: sand and rust flakes in it point to particles that a mechanical filter will hold back.
4. Test If the cloudiness keeps coming back or the water smells, we take a sample for the laboratory. Basic chemistry costs from €35.

A mechanical filter at the flat or house inlet protects mixer taps, the water heater and the washing machine from particles. It is better to choose a filter with a flushable screen that can be cleaned without changing a cartridge. Filter installation and maintenance cost from €40/h.

When city water needs microbiology

Usually chemistry is enough for city water, because the water utility is responsible for the water in the network. We recommend microbiology (from €95) in specific cases: the building has stood empty for a long time, the plumbing in the house has been repaired or rebuilt, or the water has developed a smell that does not go away after running the tap. For a microbiology sample we use a sterile laboratory bottle and disinfect the tap outlet first.

Working in dense historic buildings

Maskavas iela and the nearby Central Station and market give good but busy access, and parking is limited among the dense historic buildings. Taking a sample needs only access to a tap. For a filter installation, write in your request whether the spot is in the flat or in the basement at the shared inlet, how to get there and whether the shut-off valves work.

Services and prices in Maskavas forštate

• Water testing in Maskavas forštate: basic from €35, with microbiology from €95.
• Water treatment: a reverse osmosis filter with installation from €250, a water softener from €600.
• Filter installation and water filter maintenance: from €40/h.
• Rotten egg smell in water: if only the hot water smells, the cause is often in the water heater.

There is no call-out fee in Riga. All prices: prices.