Historical Overview

The first public water source in Orašje was established in 1965, with the water supply system operational by 1968. Initially, three drilled wells were constructed, later expanded to eight, supplying the local communities of Orašje and Ugljara.

As demand grew, these sources proved insufficient to cover the entire municipality. In 1997, with USAID support, the Kostrč Water Intake was built, marking the first phase of a system serving 9,000 residents. USAID further assisted by including the Municipality of Orašje in a program to improve water supply and wastewater services, on the condition that an independent utility be established.

Accordingly, JP Vodovod i odvodnja Orašje was founded in April 2003 as a limited liability company, fully owned by the Municipality of Orašje. Registered under Decision No. 01-02-365/02 of 11 July 2002, the company operates three main facilities: the Administrative Building in Orašje, the Kostrč Water Source, and the “Grad” Pumping Station on the Sava River embankment.

The Municipality of Orašje remains the sole owner of the company.

Brief Description of the Water Treatment Process

Raw water is pumped from wells using 63 kW submersible pumps installed at a depth of 50 m. It is then directed to an aeration column, where air is injected by fans to achieve maximum oxygen saturation. During this process, iron and manganese oxidize into insoluble forms, which are subsequently removed through sand filtration.

Aerated water is collected in a storage tank and then pumped to sand filters designed for iron and manganese removal (deferrization and demanganization). The filtration media consist of quartz sand, manganese absorption material, and a gravel support layer. In addition to aeration and filtration, water undergoes disinfection with ClO₂ at a current dosage of 0.3 mg/l.

The treated water is stored in two clean water reservoirs (200 m³ each), from where pumps with a nominal capacity of 50 l/s deliver it to the water tower and distribution network. Filters are backwashed daily with water and air, with the wash water directed to a sedimentation basin located behind the facility. The sludge generated in the basin is removed using a sludge dewatering unit.

Pumping Station

The original sewerage system in Orašje was designed as a combined system and constructed in 1984. Main Collector 1 discharges into the Sava River and is located within the crown of the protective embankment. The primary function of the pumping station is to transfer wastewater and stormwater during periods of high water levels of the Sava River. When the sluice gates on the collector at the protective embankment are closed, the wastewater is lifted into the river by three Archimedean screw pumps.

The pumping station has a capacity of 1.7 m³/s.

The facility and its equipment were thoroughly reconstructed in 2015 with support from UNDP.

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