Bucks County jet fuel leak: Impact to residents remains high as more wells test positive for benzene
Bucks County residents continue with fallout from jet fuel leak
Residents of a Bucks County town are still dealing with the impacts of a pipeline leak that sent jet fuel into their drinking water.
UPPER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. - It’s been six months since a pipeline leak was confirmed in a Bucks County community, which sent jet fuel into the drinking water.
Residents impacted by the underground pipeline are frustrated and concerned, especially since a resident said another well just tested positive for benzene.
What they're saying:
Pennsylvania State Senator, Steve Santarsiero, stated, "My concern is making sure we know how far-reaching this contamination is, where it’s going, what other houses, residences might be impacted."
In the Mount Eyre neighborhood where a decades-old but still-operating jet fuel pipeline sprung a leak and contaminated wells and groundwater, Senator Santarsiero’s question was answered.
"I thought since January I was a near miss, right? And, so it’s happening all around us," resident Melissa Tenzer said. Her well tested positive for benzene.
After a crew hired by the pipeline owner, Energy Transfer, tested her well, Melissa says she got the call that higher than acceptable levels of benzene were in her well. Now they are testing the ground below her cement basement.
She continued, "We could be in danger of getting cancer or all the other things that go along with benzene and toxins in your water. I mean, it’s the worst nightmare you could ever have.
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Local perspective:
A nightmare for the hundreds of residents in Upper Makefield while the company repaired the broken pipe and has been testing the ground, they still extract leaked jet fuel from several recovery wells. That’s according to a township website set up to provide updates.
On Monday, the company erected a noise barrier fence and a new well in the neighborhood to test for potential leak flow and further contamination.
Bucks County jet fuel leak: Energy Transfer ordered to install water treatment systems to affected homes
Energy Transfer has been ordered to install point-of-entry treatment systems to residents of a Bucks County community impacted by a jet fuel leak in the company’s 14-inch pipeline.
Big picture view:
Resident Clem Smith remarked, "They never really left the neighborhood. So, I was just thinking another day and I’ve been out in my yard on Saturdays and Sunday mornings looking at people in orange and lime suits pumping stuff out of the contaminated wells on my street."
"We don’t know how much product leaked, where it’s going and what are the health issues?" another resident and task force member, Bart Krauss, asked.
The company updates residents online. But there’s mistrust and skepticism.
Senator Santarsiero added, "I think Sunoco has shown time and time again that it is not a good actor. We have to assume, unless they’re forced to do the right thing, their choice is not going to do the right thing."
What's next:
Major questions from the frightened residents include will the remediation be effective in removing chemical contaminants forever?
Energy Transfer has scheduled another Zoom meeting at the end of the month and says impacted residents can reach out to them by phone or email.