When Orangefield Water Supply Corporation (OFWSC) General Manager Jason Engle talks about the pressure on his community’s water system, he often starts at the beginning.

“Our water lines were originally built in 1999 and the sewer system in 2013. They weren’t designed for the number of connections or the level of growth we’re experiencing today.”

That growth is arriving faster than the system can expand. Major industrial and energy projects — including a new Chevron facility expected to bring 11,000 workers into the region — are driving unprecedented demand. OFWSC, located in Orange County near the Texas–Louisiana border, currently serves 2,252 water customers and 1,362 sewer customers. Within a few years, they expect to add roughly 1,500 more connections.

That expansion is visible on the ground. New schools have opened to serve the growing population, and a $27 million Toy Museum has emerged as a regional attraction and fundraising asset. Orangefield is shifting from a rural area into a rapidly changing community — yet its foundational infrastructure has not kept pace.

For more than two decades, Communities Unlimited (CU) has stood beside OFWSC as that pressure intensified — through hurricanes, loan moratoriums, rate studies, emergency repairs, population growth, and a wastewater system unlike almost anything in Texas.

A Long Partnership Rooted in Trust

The relationship began through U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) referrals in the early 2000s, when CU’s predecessor, Community Resource Group (CRG), first supported the community with wastewater development planning. Since then, Orangefield has engaged CU on seven major projects, ranging from technical assessments to financing essential equipment and system repairs.

Much of the early Community Infrastructure Team’s work was led by longtime CU staff members Harold Hunter and recently retired Tom Fulton. Both supported system planning, storm recovery, multiple rate studies, and USDA loan packaging. Today, CU Management Specialist Chad Brown carries that work forward, while Senior Economic Development Loan Officer Chris Ranniger provides financing support when major needs arise.

A Unique System in a Challenging Place

Orangefield operates within a set of physical limitations few utilities face.

Water production is below what regulators consider adequate for projected population growth. Two deep wells — one roughly 1,100 feet deep, the other around 800 — produce less than the 2,700 gallons per minute recommended by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Storage is also short nearly 300,000 gallons.

Compounding that challenge, Orangefield operates one of only five vacuum sewer systems in Texas.

A vacuum sewer system is designed for flood-prone, flat terrain. Instead of gravity, negative air pressure moves wastewater. This requires vacuum valves, sealed lines, continuous electricity, and a centralized vacuum station. Although originally financed through USDA, the system was considered expensive to maintain even in its early years.

“Our closest peer system is about 150 miles away,” Engle said. “So we can’t easily borrow parts or equipment. Everything is specialized. Parts either come from Airvac in Rochester, Indiana, or from Flovac, whose parent company is in Australia. We have to be completely self-sufficient.”

In practice, that means: keeping parts in inventory, not ordering as needed, planning around long procurement windows, maintaining redundant equipment, and budgeting more for emergency failures.

These realities have prompted Orangefield to begin planning full system replacement — water and sewer alike. But several funding rounds stalled when project cost estimates became outdated and bank transitions required resubmissions.

A History of CU Support: Technical and Financial

CU has supported Orangefield through six major loans to date: emergency repair financing, engineering and administrative bridge loans, implementation loans for upgrades, and in 2025, deep-well rehabilitation funding.

Alongside lending, Brown has helped complete Technical, Managerial, and Financial (TMF) assessments, develop work plans, and coordinate loan processes when urgent needs arise.

This model — technical guidance paired with financing options — is why Orangefield leans heavily on CU.

The Deep-Well Emergency

In early 2025, both deep wells began failing. Pumps, piping, controls, and electrical systems needed to be replaced — and production capacity was falling quickly.

Engle contacted CU. Brown finalized TMF and work plan requirements and then submitted a funding recommendation to CU’s Lending Team. A loan application was filed May 21, approved June 30, and closed July 8.

Work began immediately.

“One of the biggest things we were able to do was increase production by upsizing equipment,” Engle said. “We replaced a 75-horsepower pump with a 100-horsepower unit and increased pump RPM (Revolutions Per Minute). That raised one well’s production from about 700 gallons per minute to roughly 1,000–1,100. That extra 400 gallons per minute makes a big difference.”

The rehabilitation also included: replacing column piping, installing new motors, deepening well casings, and modernizing electrical systems.

CU’s involvement kept the system functioning at a time when failure would have halted development and endangered essential service.

Looking Ahead

Orangefield is preparing for a population that may exceed 10,000 residents within a few years — an extraordinary reality for an unincorporated area with no municipal tax base.

Plans are already being developed for full water and wastewater replacement systems, though financing packages continue to evolve due to shifting costs and eligibility requirements.

But after more than 20 years of hurricanes, rapid expansion, operational emergencies, and major upgrades, one thing remains constant: CU continues to help Orangefield maintain safe drinking water and functioning wastewater systems — no matter the scale of what comes next.