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Orenco Systems, Inc., was incorporated in Roseburg, Oregon, in 1981 for the purpose of developing wastewater treatment products. The company is currently headquartered on a 26-acre site in Sutherlin, Oregon, and manufactures fiberglass tanks, pumping and filtration systems, secondary wastewater treatment systems, community effluent sewer systems, and standard and custom electronic control equipment for onsite and decentralized wastewater systems.

History
In the late 1970’s, engineers Hal Ball and Terry Bounds were working independently on improving decentralized wastewater collection and treatment systems. Ball was the head of the engineering department at Umpqua Community College (UCC) in Roseburg, Oregon. Bounds was the bridge and facilities engineer for Douglas County (Oregon) Public Works. Bounds had previously been a student in Ball’s engineering classes at UCC.

Ball was also a partner in BHW Engineering, which incorporated Orenco Systems in 1981 to develop wastewater treatment products. Later that same year, Ball and Bounds came together to buy out and dissolve BHW in order to obtain Orenco.

The company operated from Ball’s property in Melrose through the 1980’s, growing to 80 employees. When a larger location was needed, the company moved to the site of the former Sutherlin airport and remodeled an airport hangar into a manufacturing facility. The 26-acre site now includes an office building and several other manufacturing buildings. Orenco later obtained a second manufacturing site consisting of 45 acres in Winchester, Oregon.

Orenco’s products include fiberglass tanks, pumping and filtration systems, secondary wastewater treatment systems, community effluent sewer systems, and standard and custom electronic control equipment for onsite and decentralized wastewater systems. The company’s mobile wastewater treatment units have been used by the military, by oil, gas, and mining companies, and in areas affected by natural disasters.

Orenco sells its products through a worldwide distribution network that includes locations in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

In 2000, Orenco introduced its flagship product, the AdvanTex textile filter, which was later patented. In 2011, this technology went on to earn the “Innovative Technology Award” from the Water Environment Federation.

Orenco Systems had $35 million in sales in 2004, which was an increase of 25% from the year before. Municipal customers included the towns of Glide, Oregon, and Elkton, Oregon. Corporate customers included the Seven Feathers Casino Resort, the Roseburg Country Club, and an Alaskan oil rig.

In early 2005, the company had 240 employees and was expecting to hire more as it completed a $1.2-million expansion of its injection-molded fiberglass manufacturing facility.

As of 2012, Orenco Systems was the 8th largest private employer in Douglas County, Oregon.

Orenco was a 2013 corporate graduate of Oregon OSHA’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP). The company’s safety, wellness, and environmental manager received a 2015 Governor’s Occupational Safety and Health (GOSH) award in the category of safety and health professional.

Orenco Systems provided several schematics to George Tchobanoglous and Ron Crites for publication in their book, Small and Decentralized Wastewater Management Systems. The book also includes several references to the writings of Orenco founders, Hal Ball and Terry Bounds.