Lower Makefield Township officials said, on Friday, in the wake of a WHYY Radio report of an energy pipeline leak that tainted water with jet fuel in neighboring Upper Makefield has had no observable impacts on residents or properties in the township.
The leak was identified after DEP responded to complaints of residents smelling gas on Jan. 9, and requested an investigation by PHMSA and Energy Transfer. The company started its investigation and found a leak on Jan. 31, according to the WHYY report.
“Upper Makefield Township, promptly addressed, and (the leak) has since been fixed. While some local residents in Upper Makefield Township noted odors and raised concerns about potential impacts, at this time, there is no evidence to suggest any impact on Lower Makefield Township properties or residents,” a township spokesperson said earlier today.
The pipeline is subject to strict oversight by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a federal agency responsible for pipeline safety. These agencies, along with Energy Transfer, are closely monitoring the situation to ensure continued safety and compliance with all regulations, said officials.
Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA #1) released a statement calling for “… a temporary suspension of the pipeline’s operations,” by federal regulators.
Credit: Submitted
“Given the failure to detect the leak, the premature restart of the pipeline, and ongoing reports of contamination, I am calling for a temporary suspension of the pipeline’s operations. This suspension should remain in effect until a comprehensive investigation is completed, which includes guarantees of clean water for the affected residents, a thorough remediation plan, and a complete inline inspection to ensure the pipeline’s integrity,” the congressman said.
Energy Transfer representatives, officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and federal officials from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), which regulates the pipeline met with dozens of Upper Makefield residents to hear resident concerns, the report said.
Energy Transfer said in a report that they repaired the leak and restarted the pipeline on Sunday and that they hired Eurofins to carry out water sampling in the area near the leak to test for contamination.
Upper Makefield officials issued a press release late Friday
Chairwoman of the Upper Makefield Board of Supervisors Yvette E. Taylor at Thursday nights meeting with officials
“As of 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, our approved third-party consultants have inspected 93 water wells in the neighborhood and have received results for 42 of those. Of the 93 sampled, six have hydrocarbons detected. We have 102 additional water wells scheduled (or in the process of being scheduled) to be inspected. We are making an effort to secure additional crews to accelerate this process. We will continue to provide bottled water to concerned landowners.”
Lower Makefield residents, with questions or concerns, can obtain further information by contacting Energy Transfer’s pipeline resident hotline at 1-877-397-3383. Should any new developments arise that affects Lower Makefield Township, we will provide timely updates, officials said.
