After March 31, 2011, DEP will consider a request for more EDUs.

The ban has affected only a few single-family home building projects, Hinkson said. He added that some people might have pursued plans because they knew of the ban, which also covers the parts of Clark, Wheatland and South Pymatuning and Shenango townships that send waste to Hermitage for treatment.

City officials wanted to get the issues resolved as quickly as possible, but also to get a fair deal, Hinkson said.

“I think we achieved an appropriate balance of getting this done as quickly as we could and taking time to do it right,” he said.

DEP officials were responsive to city questions and concerns, he added.

Once the consent order has been signed by the city and the state, a new discharge permit will be issued.

Completion of the agreement allows city officials to focus on the plant expansion, which is estimated to cost $30 million. The engineering firm of Herbert, Rowland and Grubic, which has a Hermitage office, has started designing the expansion, and Hinkson said officials are hoping a state low-interest loan and grants will reduce the amount of money the city must borrow through a bond issue.

Whatever the funding scheme, sewer fees will be going up. Hinkson said commissioners want to set a fee schedule as quickly as they can so the increase can be phased in over three years, as was done with the last increase.

“There’s a lot of work ahead here,” Hinkson said.