PROSPECT — The borough no longer is under a state Department of Environmental Protection consent order.

The DEP placed the borough under a consent order in 2008 to fix sewage problems.

The order required the borough to correct sewage overflows to the Wilson Road Pump Station, which moves sewage along the borough’s line to the sewage treatment plant in Moraine State Park.

Councilman Ed Robinson said that the order was lifted last month because the borough met criteria for reducing sewage overflows and for applying for funding to fix issues at the pump station and equalization tank on Park Road.

“It was a long journey ... They (the DEP) thought we did a good job,” Robinson said at Monday’s borough council meeting.

He said that sewage overflows have been greatly reduced, but the borough still has to complete rehabilitation work on the pump station and the equalization tank.

Both will be rehabbed and the pump station will get three-stage power. The renovations will reduce inflow and infiltration into the sewage system, reducing the amount of water sent to the sewage treatment plant in the state park.

Last year, the borough got a $1 million loan through Penn Vest, the state’s program for sewer, storm water and drinking water improvement projects.

Construction is expected to begin in September and take about three months.

Since the consent order, no new customers have been allowed to tap into the sewage system.

Jim Willard, borough engineer, said the borough now is permitted to add people to the sewage system, which he said opens it up to new development and new revenue streams.

Councilman Dave Stellfox said that it took a lot of vision to get out from under the consent order.

“I’m thankful it’s done,” Stellfox said.

Mayor Jim Butler said that council and community members worked hard to accomplish this. He said that having the order lifted will allow the borough to work on other projects.

“It’s taken us four years, at least, to get through this,” Butler said.

Earlier this year, the borough began taking the lead on forming a potential nine-municipality regional water and sewer authority.

Besides Prospect, the proposed system may include Brady, Connoquenessing, Franklin, Lancaster, Worth and Muddy Creek townships, along with Connoquenessing and Portersville. The area would encompass Moraine State Park.

Robinson said the borough and surrounding municipalities still should look at forming a regional sewer authority, saying it would allow the municipalities to control potential growth.