After seven years and more than $40 million worth of work, the Butler Area Sewer Authority is free from penalizing state restrictions.

The state Department of Environmental Protection lifted the restrictions on Oct. 18 after ruling the authority fulfilled its obligations specified in the Consent Order and Agreement that went into effect in October 2006.

In that agreement, the DEP put numerous restrictions on the authority, as well as the municipalities in its area, to force the authority to eliminate wet weather sewer overflows into various streams in the area.

Perhaps the most notable restriction placed a limit on the number of new sewer connections the authority could issue each year.

“This is good news for us and the area,” said Thomas Rockovich, the executive director of the authority.

The city of Butler, East Butler, as well as Butler, Center, Summit, Oakland and Connoquenessing townships also were part of the consent order.

It took an extensive effort to correct the overflow problem that had been plaguing the authority for more than a dozen years.

The biggest part of the solution came from the authority's seven new sewage storage tanks, which were completed in April.

The tanks are capable of holding a combined 22.1 million gallons of overflowed sewage.

Before the tanks were completed, excess rain would flood the authority's system and cause overflowing sewage to run into local streams.

“We're pumping into these tanks now,” Rockovich said.

The total cost of the tanks and other related improvements, which included land acquisition, project design, and construction inspection services, was $41.1 million.

The improvements were financed by a series of PennVest loans, a bond issue, and the authority's capital reserve funds.

Construction on the tanks began in early 2010.

Rockovich said the tanks have been successful so far.

“They're working out well,” he said.

The tanks hold the overflow sewage during heavy rains until the system can handle it. At that time, the sewage is pumped back into the system for treatment.

Gary Clark, a spokesman for the DEP, said the authority met all the objectives of the consent order.

“This has been a long and difficult process, with several municipalities being involved in the BASA,” he said. “The department is very pleased with the patience and cooperation of all involved that led to a successful completion of this important project.”

Other restrictions lifted from the authority include the elimination of quarterly administrative reports, penalties from the DEP for overflows, and DEP review proceduresrelated to the planning process of projects.

Jesse Hines, the zoning officer for Butler Township, said the planning restrictions were a major hassle for developers.

“This will make the process much easier,” he said. “I'm very pleased to hear the restrictions are gone.”

Under the consent order, developers had to submit a module plan to the DEP for approval before they could get plans approved by local municipalities.

These plans included several forms outlining every aspect of the sewage connection.

“It was a long process,” Hines said. “Now developers can go straight to BASA for approval. It's a lot more developer friendly.”

The planning process was a chore, but the elimination of a connections limit was the most important gain from satisfying the consent order, Rockovich said.

While the connections limit was always part of the consent order, Rockovich said it was never a prohibitor of development in the area.”

“We never were close to the cap,” Rockovich said.

But recent spurs in development in the area meant the looming cap could have soon caused issues.

“We've seen significantly more connections in the past couple years,” Rockovich said, adding there were about 90 unused connections left for the year, which runs through April.

“We've got a number of projects in the works that probably would have eaten that up,” he said. “This couldn't have come at a better time.”

Rockovich said it would be hard to predict if the removal of the connection limit would help increase development in the area, but he did say it would help the process.

“It will allow that aspect to not be as much of a stumbling block as it has been in the past,” he said.