Tours of Butler wastewater plant showcase Pennsylvania American Water’s plans for the system

June 08, 2025 Last Updated: June 08, 2025 09:43 PM Local News

Rich DiBiase, senior supervisor of production for Pennsylvania American Water, right, leads a tour of the company’s wastewater treatment plant on Saturday, June 7. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

BUTLER TWP — Since the 1930s, water that flows down drains in the central Butler County area has flowed to the wastewater treatment plant on Litman Road, where it gets treated and disinfected before being discharged.

That process is still in place, but the purchase of the Butler Area Sewer Authority by Pennsylvania American Water in October means the new owners have plans to update equipment and safety measures, among other changes, in the coming years.

On Saturday, June 7, administrators of Pennsylvania American Water gave tours of the treatment plant, and spoke about some of these changes. The open house was the first public tour event to take place there since Pennsylvania American bought the sewer authority.

“We wanted to open our doors to the community to learn about wastewater treatment and the things we have coming up,” said Lauren Camarda, manager of external affairs for Pennsylvania American Water.

Rich DiBiase, senior supervisor of production for Pennsylvania American Water, has worked at the plant for nearly 30 years and led the tours Saturday. He said there have been minor changes to the plant in his time working there, but Pennsylvania American Water has “big plans on the horizon.”

The first change showed off on the tour was the implementation of 43 smart sewer caps, which help monitor wastewater flow into the treatment plant, but DiBiase said the plant itself will also see changes.

“You come back in five years... there will be a lot of changes,” DiBiase said while leading a tour.

Michelle Cavallo, operations manager for Pennsylvania American Water, said there is also an odor-control project in the design stage and safety projects that will improve safety for workers at the plant itself.

DiBiase took a group past each of the apparatus that treat wastewater that is pumped to the plant by 27 pumps through 330 miles of pipe.

He explained that wastewater first goes to primary clarifiers, then to trickling filters, then to activated sludge tanks before going through more reactors to be disinfected before discharge.

The trickling filter looks like a sprinkler that spins in a circle that sprays water downward over limestone rock. DiBiase explained that the water flows through the rocks and then into the sludge tanks, which are pools that are lower in the ground where the water is pushed through by fans. The wastewater then flows through more clarifiers, some of which are inside buildings on Litman Road, where the disinfecting process takes place.

Duane McKee, superintendent of the Pennsylvania American Water Butler plant, previously helped give tours of the facility a few years ago, when the water company was in the midst of floating plans to purchase the sewer authority. He said the tours on Saturday would not be as up-close-and-personal as those tours, because Pennsylvania American Water wanted to update safety measures before letting people get that close again.

In addition to tours of the wastewater treatment equipment and outdoor facilities, people could also take a rain barrel workshop in one of the maintenance buildings, hosted by the Pennsylvania Resources Council. The water company also provided information on its H2O Help to Others Program, which provides billing assistance for people with certain incomes.

Dave and Lisa Krack, of Butler, attended the open house event mainly to learn about rain barrel use, but also wanted to get a look at the treatment plant to see where their wastewater went after going down the drains. Lisa Krack said she was looking forward to finally learning about what those huge devices visible from Pittsburgh Road do.

“We drive by it every day, might as well see what it is,” Lisa Krack said.

Julie Czifra looks at sample microorganisms with her daughter, Sophie, looking on, during a Pennsylvania American Water open house Saturday, June 7. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

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Mindy Spohn, left, removes a sewer cap as Seth Campbell explains the purpose of sewer caps on Saturday, June 7, during a Pennsylvania American Water open house and tour. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

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A trickling filter is prominent during a Pennsylvania American Water open house and tour of the Butler Wastewater Treatment Plant in Butler on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

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Julie Czifra looks at sample microorganisms through a microscope with her daughter, Sophie, on Saturday, June 7, during a tour of the Pennsylvania American Water wastewater treatment plant on Litman Road. (Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle)

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Sophie Czifra looks at sample microorganisms through a microscope on Saturday, June 7, during a tour of the Pennsylvania American Water wastewater treatment plant on Litman Road. (Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle)

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Lisa Crack, of Butler, looks at a map of Pennsylvania American Water wastewater lines on Saturday, June 7. (Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle)

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Anthony Maffeo, left, and his daughter, Elizabeth Tucker, eat a snack as they wait for a tour Saturday, June 7, at the Pennsylvania American Water wastewater treatment plant. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

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A poster of some of the water microorganisms during a Pennsylvania American Water open house and tour of the Butler Wastewater Treatment Plant in Butler on Saturday, June 7. (Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle)

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Seth Campbell, right, explains Saturday, June 7, how sensors on sewer caps help track water flow to the Pennsylvania American Water treatment plant. (Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle)

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Mindy Spohn, left, removes a sewer cap as Seth Campbell explains the purpose of sewer caps on Saturday, June 7, during a Pennsylvania American Water open house and tour. (Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle)

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Rich DiBiase, senior supervisor of production for Pennsylvania American Water, leads a tour during a Pennsylvania American Water open house of the Butler Wastewater Treatment Plant in Butler on Saturday, June 7, 2025. (Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle)

Rob McGraw

A trickling filter is prominent during a Pennsylvania American Water open house and tour of the Butler Wastewater Treatment Plant in Butler on Saturday, June 7, 2025. (Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle)

Rob McGraw