Myerstown Wastewater Treatment Facility receives PRWA recognition

The Pennsylvania Rural Water Association awarded the Myerstown Wastewater Treatment Facility with its annual Wastewater System of the Year award for 2025.

Ryan Orgitano of PRWA visited Myerstown (which owns and operates the facility) to present the award Nov. 25.

According to a Myerstown press release, the facility can handle up to 2.92 million gallons (MGD) per day and 8,062 pounds of biochemical oxygen demand per day. In addition to Myerstown, it serves Richland Borough and parts of Jackson and Millcreek townships with around 15 miles of gravity sewers.

“This award reflects years of planning and daily hard work,” said borough manager Michael McKenna in the release. “Our wastewater team manages a complex regional facility and collection system, and they do it in a way that protects public health, supports local industry, and safeguards the Tulpehocken Creek. We are grateful to PRWA for recognizing their efforts.”

Prior to the facility’s selection for the award, Orgitano visited and featured the plant in the spring issue of PRWA’s Keystone Tap Magazine.

“What truly sets Myerstown WWTF apart is its high standard of cleanliness, organization, and professionalism,” Orgitano said in an email to LebTown. “Every aspect of the facility reflects care and attention to detail. Equipment is well-maintained, processes are clearly documented, and the plant operates smoothly and efficiently. It is, without question, one of the cleanest and most well-organized wastewater treatment plants I have had the privilege of visiting.”

Orgitano described the plant as “one of the most efficiently run and meticulously maintained wastewater systems in the state,” which he said was especially impressive given that the site only has four full-time employees. He called it “a model for other utilities statewide.”

“We take a lot of pride in operating and maintaining our facility, taking care of our customers, and protecting the environment,” said wastewater operations manager Barry Ludwig in the borough release. “Recognition of our efforts from PRWA and the confidence Borough Council and management has in our team is always appreciated.”

McKenna further explained, at Myerstown Borough Council’s monthly meeting Dec. 9, that the facility’s employees are hired by the borough and not contracted to third-party services.

“There’s a lot of small plants that contract out to third-party services to operate, and generally over time you see the quality of the plant kind of go down,” McKenna said. “So the fact that we have four really strong employees down there, and that they take care of the plant and they’re able to come to these meetings and answer any questions that council or the community has, it’s a unique and special thing that Myerstown has.”

This comes as Myerstown has recently approved a wastewater treatment facility feasibility study at the request of Ludwig, who said in October the facility is unlikely to need to expand its capacity for a long time — with an average flow of around 1.3 MGD, significantly below the max — but that maintenance-related items and future needs should be examined.

Read More: Myerstown to undertake wastewater treatment facility feasibility study

The plant, constructed in 1963, has expanded from .5 MGD to 2.92 MGD, with major renovations in 1978 and 2009.

“Wastewater treatment at the facility includes fine screening and grit removal at the headworks, pumping to an ORBAL multichannel oxidation ditch for advanced biological nutrient removal, clarification, ultraviolent disinfection, and post-aeration before treated water is discharged into the Tulpehocken creek,” said the press release from the borough. “Solids are thickened, aerobically digested, mechanically dewatered with a centrifuge, and either hauled to the Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority landfill or applied to on-site reed beds as part of a carefully managed solids handling program.”