About 75 residents crowded into the Upper Makefield Township supervisors meeting in early February after a jet fuel leak was discovered from a pipeline under Washington Crossing. The meeting was attended by residents and representatives of the township, state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and Sunoco. Residents first began reporting an odor on Jan. 9., and Sunoco discovered the leak Jan. 31, however many residents say the leak has been ongoing since September 2023. The company said it did not know how much petroleum product had leaked from the 14-inch line that was carrying jet fuel. A late January test at another nearby well showed levels far above the legal limit for benzene, xylenes and other chemicals, according to the Bucks County Courier Times. DEP representative Lisa Strobridge reported the results of a late January water test revealed 15 inches of kerosene in one well's water. Yvette Taylor, chair of the Upper Makefield Township supervisors, sent a letter to Energy Transfer calling for the pipeline to be shut down. Additionally, state Sen. Steven J. Santarsiero (D-10) and State Rep. Perry S. Warren (D-31) have asked federal authorities to suspend operations of “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 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.” Sunoco said the company would pay for well testing for people living within a section of the Mount Eyre neighborhood. JoMarie Jenkins, a senior right of way specialist at Sunoco Logistics, said the company would also pay for port of entry treatment (POET) filtration systems, which cost about $5,000, as well as monitoring, 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.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 2/5/2025; Bucks County Herald; 2/10/2025; & Philadelphia Inquirer; 2/11/2025