Jet fuel pipe leak concerns continue among Bucks Co. residents amid clean-up

UPPER MAKEFILED TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPHL) — In a packed public meeting Tuesday night at the Crossing Church, residents in Upper Makefield Township, Penn. voiced their concerns and unsatisfaction with clean-up plans in reference to Sunoco Energy Transfer confirming a petroleum pipeline leak on January 31.

“Every day they don’t shut that pipeline down, they’re violating the civil rights of the people,” Washington Crossing resident Priscilla Linden said on Action News at 10 on PHL17.

Since confirmation of the leak, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been testing the water after Energy Transfer said 11 wells in the Mount Eyre neighborhood were contaminated with “Jet A” fuel and petroleum-related products.

Residents said that they had been complaining about a leak in the pipeline since September 2023. Some who live near where the pipe leak was confirmed reported that they could smell and taste the gas in their water. At the time, Sunoco and Energy Transfer representatives said that they tested the water, and it did not find petroleum products above the legal limit. The company said it performed a dig near the homes and did not find a leak. However, when one of the homes nearby opened its well this year, contractors found more than 12 feet of kerosene floating on the surface.

Third party environmental consultants who are working under DEP oversight have conducted more than 447 water tests at impacted homes. Agents are testing well water for petroleum contamination. To date, treatment systems have been installed at 42 residences, six of which had results above drinking water standards for petroleum products and with detectable contamination at other residences. Another 102 treatment systems are scheduled to be installed. The point-of-entry treatment (POET) filtration systems that have been installed are designed to remove all contaminants from drinking water, ensuring residents can have access to clean water in their homes.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has ordered Sunoco and Energy Transfer to continue providing bottled water to affected residents and sample and maintain the treatment systems that have been installed on homes. Additionally, DEP has required Energy Transfer to submit a long-term cleanup plan and set up a way for affected residents and the community to access cleanup plans. Under the order, Energy Transfer must also provide a point of contact for residents to ask questions and give feedback.