Upper Makefield residents, Pa. officials call for pipeline to be shut down pending spill investigation

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Upper Makefield Township residents affected by a pipeline leak that tainted the water of six wells with jet fuel continued to question pipeline operator Sunoco and its parent company Energy Transfer at a meeting Thursday night.

Local and state elected officials sided with residents demanding the pipeline be shut down until an investigation into the leak is complete.

“The Pennsylvania State Constitution guarantees the right to pure water to the people of Pennsylvania,” State Sen. Steve Santarsiero. “There is no guarantee for the right to transfer jet fuel through our communities.”

On Thursday, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, issued a Notice of Safety Order, requiring Sunoco to operate the pipeline at 20% reduction in pressure and improve its leak detection system, among several other corrective measures. According to its preliminary investigation, PHMSA found that the leak had been going on for at least 16 months. Residents reported smells of gasoline in their water as far back as September 2023.

Speakers at the standing room-only meeting at Sol Feinstone Elementary School challenged regulators’ decision to authorize continued operation of the pipeline while the investigation remains ongoing.

“Essentially, what’s being said is that’s an acceptable risk,” Santarsiero said. “It’s almost a cost benefit analysis. The cost is being borne by the residents, the benefit by Sunoco … When human health is at risk, when exposure to carcinogens is at risk, it should be the other way around.”

Bryan Lethcoe, director of the southwest region at PHMSA, said at the meeting that regulators “determined that there is sufficient information to support the operational status of the pipeline.”

More than 20 residents formed a task force to coordinate response efforts. Their collective demands include immediate and long-term solutions to provide clean water; shutting down the pipeline until the investigation and remedial plan are complete.

They also want the companies to; implement improved leak detection technology and long-term monitoring and testing, clean up contaminated soil, and compensate affected residents for home value, water system operation costs and mental and emotional damage.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection first responded to smells of gasoline in the neighborhood on Jan. 9. The agency then requested the company and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, which regulates the pipeline, to investigate. Sunoco identified the leak on Jan. 31. The pipeline was shut down until repairs were completed on Feb. 2, when it was reactivated with PHMSA approval.

However, following a community meeting last week in which residents expressed concerns that the company’s leak detection technology was not reliable, PHMSA requested the company operate the pipeline at a 20% pressure reduction. Representatives from Sunoco and Energy Transfer said they also have completed six digs at previously repaired sections of the pipeline in both Upper Makefield and Newtown townships and have not found any other leaks.

According to Sunoco, as of Thursday, the third-party water testing company they hired has performed 127 water tests and received results for 92. Six of the 92 results contained hydrocarbons, a toxic chemical, above statewide standards. An additional 102 tests are scheduled or in the process of being scheduled.

The company has also submitted the paperwork to enter into the DEP’s Act II process, to recover the leaked fuel and clean up contaminated soil and other areas. As of Tuesday, the company said they had recovered approximately 38 gallons of jet fuel.

The pipeline, known as the Twin Oaks Discharge pipeline, is 105.5 miles long, stretching from the Twin Oaks Terminal in Aston, Pennsylvania, to the Newark Terminal in Newark, New Jersey.

On Tuesday, Sunoco and Energy Transfer responded to a list of questions residents had submitted about the leak and its impact. After residents expressed concerns about communication at a meeting last week, the company also set up a website with ongoing updates about the leak investigation, current testing results and more.

Sunoco is currently providing bottled water to affected residents. The company has set up a community support center at Bucks Pump Station at 1798 Dolington Road, Washington Crossing, where people can pick up bottled water and access general information.

The company also established a 24/7 hotline. Residents can call 877-397-3383 or contact the company via email at uppermakefieldresponse@energytransfer.com.

Energy Transfer has a history of pipeline safety violations in Pennsylvania, including an explosion in the western part of the state in 2018. It was held criminally responsible for dozens of violations during the construction of the Mariner East pipeline.