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. |
