What changes in winter is what happens on the surface. Flushing water has to be led away before it freezes, the borehole head has to be protected from frost straight away, and digging for a caisson or water main through the frozen layer takes more work. We drill in winter in Riga and the Riga region at the same starting prices, drilling from €65/m. In your request, say whether the borehole spot can be reached by a cleared road.
Why drill in winter
- Frozen ground bears the weight of the drilling rig and lorry, so the lawn and garden are left with fewer ruts than after autumn rains or the spring thaw.
- A new build needs water already during the interior work. If the borehole is ready in winter, the house can be connected to the permanent water main by spring.
- If the old water source has frozen or broken down in winter, there is no point waiting for spring, because drilling can be done now.
The groundwater level is lower in winter than in spring, but this does not affect the depth of a borehole, because a borehole takes water from a deeper aquifer. The depth is set by the layers, not by the season.
What frost changes in the work
| Stage of work | What is different in winter | How we deal with it |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Snow, ice, drifted roads | Before the trip we agree what needs clearing; at the drilling spot the rig needs a pad |
| Drilling and flushing | Flushing water and hoses can freeze | Water circulates in the rig, and after work we drain the hoses; in severe frost the work can be rescheduled |
| Test pumping | Pumped-out water freezes on the ground | We lead it into a ditch or away from the road and house, so no ice forms |
| Caisson or adapter | The frozen layer has to be broken through | We dig with an excavator that breaks through the frozen layer |
| Water main to the house | A trench in frozen ground is harder and more expensive | It can be built straight away or in spring; until then we seal the borehole |
How we protect the borehole until it is connected
If you will build the water main to the house in spring, the borehole stays unequipped after test pumping. In that case we tightly seal the top of the pipe with a cap so that snow, meltwater and dirt cannot get in, and mark the spot so that machinery does not drive over it. The water in the borehole below ground does not freeze, but the pipe above ground has to be protected from knocks.
If you need water straight away, we equip the borehole on the same visit: an adapter or caisson below frost depth, the pump and the supply line to the house. More detail: borehole equipment and borehole caisson. If you need temporary water during construction, it can be taken from the borehole with a pump and a hose that is drained after use.
The documents are the same in winter
The season does not change the rules. If the borehole will be deeper than 20 m or you will need more than 10 m³ of water per day, the drilling company arranges the licence with the State Environmental Service (VVD), and it is valid for up to one year. After drilling, the company prepares the borehole passport and submits it to the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre (LVĢMC) for approval, which LVĢMC examines within 10 working days. The water sample for the passport can be taken in winter too, once the borehole has been flushed.
It is worth submitting the municipal building authority (būvvalde) documents for a new borehole in autumn, so there is no waiting in winter. What needs preparing: borehole registration.
The law “On Subterranean Depths”, Section 11(1), point 2 and Section 9(1), point 4; Cabinet Regulation No. 696 of 06.09.2011 on subsoil licences, points 13 and 16; LVĢMC service 09-35 (10 working days). Sources: likumi.lv, videscentrs.lvgmc.lv, checked 03.11.2026.
How much borehole drilling in winter costs
The starting price for drilling is the same in winter: from €65/m, and a 30 m deep borehole costs from €2,000 without the pump and the supply line. In winter the total can rise because of:
- snow clearing and preparing a pad for the drilling rig, if you cannot do it yourself;
- breaking through the frozen layer for the caisson or adapter pit;
- a water main trench through frozen ground, if it is built straight away;
- an extra trip, if the work has to be rescheduled in severe frost and the machinery brought again.
We list these jobs in the quote before drilling, so you can choose what to do now and what in spring. All prices: prices.