A consent agreement between the Butler Area Sewer Authority and the state Department of Environmental Protection is being extended.

John Schon, BASA operations director, told two of only five authority board members who attended Wednesday’s board meeting that the deadline for the seven stormwater storage tanks project had been July 31 of this year, but contractor and weather problems last fall delayed the project.

He said the authority has been working with the DEP to amend the consent agreement to extend the deadline to April 30, 2013.

Schon said that since the DEP called for an amendment to the agreement, all seven municipalities served by BASA had to approve the change.

“We have six approvals at this time with the city of Butler to vote on it (tonight),” he said.

The decade-long, $34 million project was ordered by the DEP to curb extraneous water from inundating the sewer lines and causing raw sewage overflows.

The extension also means that BASA must have everything done from the tanks near Monroe Street and at the end of Negley Avenue in the city and by the Butler Township salt bin in Sawmill Run Park as well as four pump stations, and the overflow sites sealed.

“But we can’t do that until we have everything else done and are sure it works. Otherwise we could flood half the city,” Schon said.

As far as any penalty that could be involved with the missing of the original deadline, Schon said the authority has told the contractors who have caused the delays that if BASA is fined, the contractors and not the authority will pay the state.