In 1963 the first dirt was shoveled to
begin the public waste disposal system for the Borough of Myerstown. By the end
of 1964 the entire Borough was on public sewer and the construction of a
500,000 MGD wastewater plant was constructed and in operation.
The
Myerstown Sewage Treatment Plant effluent is discharged into the Tulpehocken
Creek.
In 1972 the Borough of Myerstown was in the process of exploring
the possibility of a upgrade and expansion of it’s wastewater treatment
facility, when the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources told the
Borough of Myerstown they favored a regional system and designated the existing
Myerstown Treatment plant as a joint municipal wastewater plant. Due to the
fact that our neighbors Jackson Township, Richland Borough and Millcreek
Township were also looking into their own wastewater facilities, DEP decided
the Myerstown Plant would now serve four municipal entities, namely Richland
Borough, Millcreek Township and Jackson Township, along with the Borough.
The expansion would increase the MGD from 500,000 to 1.4 million
gallons per day and would now include the flow from three other municipalities.
With plans well underway for the plant upgrade and expansion, attention was
turned to the design of an Inter-Municipal Agreement. Since the Borough of
Myerstown was the owner of the existing plant, similar agreements were entered
into between the Borough of Myerstown and Jackson Township and the Borough of
Myerstown and Richland/Millcreek communities.
Construction on the above
started in October or 1977 and was completed in July of 1979.
Now, in
2007, the Borough of Myerstown and its partners are again looking at an upgrade
and expansion of the existing facility. The plant is over 27 years old and is
too costly to operate with old technology. Equipment breakdowns are expensive
and some take several months to replace.
There is a design map hanging
in Council Chambers in the Municipal Office located on Washington Avenue.
Residents are welcome to stop in and see what exciting upgrades are in store
for the plant. This technology should last another 25-30 years. Contracts have
gone out for bid, the project is expected to start early this summer and should
take from 18-24 months to complete. |
