Roseburg Urban Sanitary Authority collects and treats wastewater from the city of Roseburg and outlying areas in the urban growth boundary. Its conventional treatment facility was constructed in the mid-1980s off Old Melrose Road west of Roseburg. More recently, RUSA added a natural treatment system to help “polish” wastewater during summer months. Jim Baird, RUSA’s engineering and operations manager, said the wetland idea started in the 1990s. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality had advised RUSA it would need to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus from treated effluent. RUSA’s former general manager, Doug Zenor, championed the purchase of 340 acres of …