Change in Oregon's Septic Rules Makes New Onsite Wastewater Technologies Available

SUTHERLIN, Ore., March 7, 2005 — Oregonians will have easier access to new technologies for onsite wastewater treatment under Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) rules that went into effect March 1. In rural and suburban areas where sewers are unavailable and soils are unsuitable for conventional septic systems, homeowners will be able to choose systems that are easier to install and maintain than a sand filter.

DEQ’s new rules allow the use of other alternative treatment technologies (ATTs) in the state, streamline the process of getting permits for properties using these systems, and create a program to certify onsite system installers. The rules reflect advances in onsite wastewater treatment and bring Oregon into line with many other states where ATTs are in common use.

One type of system permitted by the new rules, a textile filter, was pioneered by Orenco Systems, Inc., a Roseburg-area company. Orenco Systems was founded in 1981 by Hal Ball and Terry Bounds, engineers who studied and developed sand filter technology for the state of Oregon in the 1970s. Five years ago, Orenco launched its AdvanTex textile filter system, a bathtub-sized underground box of synthetic textile sheets that purify wastewater as a sand filter does, but in a smaller space. Since then, Orenco Systems has sold 8,000 AdvanTex systems in 40 U.S. states and overseas. About 30 systems have been installed in Oregon under special Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) permits, but the new rules open the way for the systems to be installed routinely.

The new rules couldn’t come fast enough for Vern Liesinger, a builder in Roseburg who installed AdvanTex systems both at his daughter’s house and at his own home last summer. Having installed many onsite systems, Liesinger has watched with interest the development of alternatives to sand filters, citing high repair costs if they fail.

In addition, his daughter’s house was on a hillside, so a retaining wall would have been necessary to make a sand filter even possible. So Liesinger obtained WPCF permits for both sites and installed AdvanTex systems.

“As far as I know, everything is working fine,” Liesinger said. Like all AdvanTex systems, his is electronically monitored by a service provider, who can check the system’s function and adjust most settings remotely.

In the United States, one out of four households has an onsite wastewater treatment system, often called a “septic system.” The percentage of newly constructed homes with onsite systems is even higher — one out of three. In conventional septic systems, household wastewater collects in an underground septic tank, where it separates into solids, scum, and liquid. The liquid effluent is discharged into the soil, where natural microorganisms remove pollutants. The purified water trickles back into the groundwater.

In many areas of Oregon, the soil is unsuitable for conventional septic systems, so another component, called “advanced” or “secondary” treatment, is needed. This component further purifies the liquid from the septic tank, and the resulting effluent is then used for landscape irrigation or discharged to the soil.

Since the 1970s, sand filters have been the customary means of advanced treatment for homes in Oregon. However, they require a 360-square-foot space in the yard, take several days to install, and can become clogged if they are abused. Although alternatives to sand filters exist, until now DEQ has considered them as experimental technologies and required homeowners to obtain an expensive WPCF permit to use them. Under DEQ’s new rules, these alternative technologies can be installed with just a construction/installation permit.

“We’re pleased that AdvanTex systems will be available in our home state,” said Eric Ball, Orenco’s vice-president for product development. “Packed bed filters like sand filters have proven their effectiveness at treating household wastewater, and textile filters are the next generation of this proven technology, in a form that’s easier to install and maintain.”

AdvanTex systems can be installed at new homes or can be used to replace failing septic systems in older homes. The company is training and authorizing a network of installers and service providers around the state.

Orenco Systems^® designs and manufactures leading-edge equipment for onsite and decentralized wastewater systems.  Products include watertight tanks; pumping and filtration systems; secondary treatment systems (including AdvanTex^® filters); community collection systems; and electronic controls.  Founded in 1981, Orenco employs about 250 people and sells its products throughout the world.

Note: The text of the changed DEQ rules can be found at

http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/rules/0205_Bulletin/0205_ch340_bulletin.html