Sewage treatment plant being built. Butler Eagle file photo.

An $18 million project began Monday in Freeport on a sewage treatment plant that the borough’s manager said would bring modern treatment technology to the borough.

Borough manager Zachary Filous said Tuesday, Feb. 13, the project is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete, but once it is finished, the treatment process could be done more efficiently. He added the new facility is being constructed in a space beside the current treatment facility, which has been in use for decades.

“The plant was originally built in the 1950s and has had some upgrades,” Filous said. “The treatment process itself (will be) completely new. Eighty percent of everything is completely new. It's all at the same site; we had the space to build something new.”

Freeport has always owned and operated its own sewage treatment facility, Filous said, and the new digs won’t affect current staff.

Freeport received about $11 million from a PennVEST grant, he said, and also got $1.5 million through a grant secured by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, both of which are going toward the sewage treatment plant project. The borough also took out a bond to fund the project, Filous said, and according to borough council meeting minutes from last spring, wastewater rates were increased to help supplement construction costs.

Filous said the project is a long time in the making, with about 15 years of preparation going into creating the plan to implement a new sewage treatment facility in the borough.

The facility will serve about 800 units in the borough used by about 1,700 people, according to Filous. The 30-year public sewage plan crafted by borough council and Freeport administrators allowed for expansion as well, Filous said, with potential to serve more units and, in the more distant future, even hire more staff for the department.

“It does open us up to the possibility of working in different areas,” Filous said. “Hopefully in the future it will allow us to do so.”