Jet fuel pipeline that leaked into Bucks County wells should be shut down, legislators say

PHILADELPHIA — Two Pennsylvania state legislators are asking federal authorities to suspend operations of a Sunoco pipeline that leaked jet fuel into the water wells of at least six homeowners in a Bucks County town.

The request sent Saturday by State Sen. Steven J. Santarsiero and State Rep. Perry S. Warren, both Democrats representing Bucks County, comes on the heels of recent public meetings on the leak.

"We are writing to request the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) enforce an immediate suspension of the flow of all petroleum products in the Sunoco Twin Oak-Newark Pipeline operated by Energy Transfer crossing through Bucks County until a full investigation is completed and a clear cause for all leaks are identified and repaired," the two legislators wrote.

A spokesperson for PHMSA could not be reached immediately for contact.

In addition, Yvette Taylor, chair of the Upper Makefield Township Board of Supervisors, sent a letter to Energy Transfer, "that the pipeline needs to be shutdown." In the letter, Taylor writes that a representative from PHMSA also believes the pipeline, which was built in 1956, "should be shut down."

She said a smell of gas has been detected in well water in two other neighborhoods.

Energy Transfer issued a statement to The Inquirer that it is aware of the letters.

"We are working with all applicable regulators, local officials and most importantly landowners to bring this matter to a resolution as quickly and safely as possible," the statement said.

"It is our intention to work with each of the impacted landowners so that the issues with their water wells are fully resolved," the statement said. "We are continuing to test water wells in the area and will take the necessary steps if any additional wells are found to have been impacted."

The leak

Residents first began reporting an odor Jan. 9. and Sunoco discovered the leak Jan. 31. The company said it did not know how much petroleum product had leaked from the 14-inch line, which, at the time, was carrying jet fuel.

The line carries a mix of petroleum products depending on need.

Sunoco initially stopped the flow until a section of pipe could be replaced.

At least four of the home wells testing positive for hydrocarbons exceeded allowable levels. And at least 100 more wells were tested, according to the letter, although Sunoco said it did not find additional contamination. The company said the cause of the leak is still being investigated.

Yet, Santarsiero and Warren say that Sunoco resumed the flow of jet fuel Feb. 2, "without the results of that investigation or a comprehensive analysis of the integrity of the rest of the pipeline sections and without communication to the township or any of the impacted residents."

The legislators note that some residents have been complaining about petroleum odors in their water for about 14 months, even though Sunoco "continued to claim there were no discharges."

"This history of Sunoco's failure to detect and manage what have likely been multiple discharges since at least 2023 erodes trust in Sunoco's current investigation," the legislators wrote, asking for PHMSA to "immediately to shut down the pipeline and protect residents and the environment from further dangerous petroleum contamination.

'Stopped using our water'

Kristine Wojnovich of the Mount Eyre neighborhood is one of those impacted residents.

At the Feb. 6 residents' meeting, she said well water to her home started smelling like gasoline in September 2023.

Her home is near the Sunoco pipeline, and she called a company hotline to report the issue.

"Sunoco reported back to me that they were happy to report that there was no oil or gas contamination found in our water," Wojnovich said.

She told the company representative that was "impossible" given that it smelled distinctly like fuel.

"He said he didn't know," Wojnovich recalled. She said he told her "it was probably some bacteria."

The family has lived with the problem for more than 16 months.

"We immediately stopped using our water. We did not drink it. We did not shower in it, or wash our clothes or dishes in it," Wojnovich said. "The only thing we use the water for was the toilets."

The Feb. 6 meeting was organized by residents, including one neighbor who passed around a container of well water that smelled like petroleum. The meeting was attended by about 75 residents, representatives of the township, state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), PHMSA, and Sunoco.

Over four hours of testimony from residents, many told the panel that they are outraged by the fact that no advocate has been appointed on their behalf and that there has been a lack of any advocate on their behalf, or central coordination for the spill.

They said that the leak, based on the smell of their wells, has been ongoing since September 2023 and that Energy Transfer's testing failed to detect it.

Sunoco to pay for testing

At the meeting, JoMarie Jenkins, a senior right of way specialist at Sunoco Logistics, said the company would pay for well testing for those living within a section of the neighborhood.

She said the company would also pay for port of entry treatment (POET) filtration systems, which cost about $5,000, as well as monitoring.

Company officials showed only an outline of the potentially impacted area, which appeared to contain about 50 lots, but did not say how many homes would qualify for POET systems.

Sunoco has set up an email, uppermakefieldresponse@energytransfer.com, and a hotline number at 877-397-3383 for residents to report issues and sign up for testing.

"If you are in this area of the development," Jenkins said, referring to a map projected the meeting, "and if your well has not been tested, we want to make sure that you get tested. So if you've not reached out to our 800 number, please do so."

'Badly affected'

Resident Dan La Hart, who moderated the meeting, said he was frustrated by the lack of any central figure or authority advocating on behalf of the residents.

"I'm not seeing a single source of accountability that is going to be our advocate for this community right now," La Hart said, noting that residents organized the meeting.

The township Board of Supervisors hosted a meeting Feb. 4. The DEP and PHMSA are holding a public meeting 7:30 p.m. Thursday, but no location had been set as of Monday night.

"A number of others in this room are stepping up as regular citizens, not elected, not paid" La Hart said.

At one point in the meeting, DEP and PHMSA officials were asked by a resident if they have "faith that Sunoco can detect a leak on its pipeline"?

A PHMSA official shook his head no.

Resident Nick Alparone shared La Hart's frustration, saying he moved into his home in Mount Eyre in July and began noticing an odor in his well water.

"My house has been pretty badly affected," Alparone said.

He purchased and installed a carbon filter.

"It lasted about a week where the water was OK, and then it just completely overpowered the system," he said of infiltrating hydrocarbons.