Norristown, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued an order to Energy Transfer to provide water to residents in Upper Makefield Township affected by a leak in Energy Transfer’s 14-inch pipeline. Energy Transfer will be required to install point-of-entry-treatment systems to over 100 homes in the Mt. Eyre neighborhood and remediate the affected areas.
“Today’s order will ensure that these residents have safe drinking water, the contamination is cleaned up, and the community has a direct line of contact with Energy Transfer to express their concerns,” said DEP Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “Clean, safe drinking water is one of the most important resources we have, whether that is from a public water supplier or a private water well. Pennsylvanians have a constitutional right to pure water and we will work to ensure that right is protected in Upper Makefield Township.”
DEP already had insisted on water testing at impacted homes, and so far, under DEP oversight, a third-party contractor has taken 447 samples of 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, with detectable contamination at other residences. Energy Transfer has agreed to install at least 102 more treatment systems at the request of homeowners. The point-of-entry treatment filtration systems that have been installed are designed to remove all contaminants from drinking water.
DEP is conducting stream assessments and water chemistry sampling of three nearby streams: Dyers Creek, Houghs Creek and an unnamed tributary. DEP also is overseeing hydrology testing to characterize the subsurface affected area and better understand groundwater flow, which will help inform the longer-term remediation plan. More details can be found on DEP’s community webpage for Upper Makefield Pipeline.
In addition to requiring temporary relief such as bottled water, DEP’s Order requires Energy Transfer to submit an enforceable schedule for completing its environmental investigations and submitting cleanup plans to address the impacts of the leak.
Governor Josh Shapiro also sent a letter to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), calling on federal leaders to hold Energy Transfer accountable under their authority. The federal government has primary jurisdiction related to operation of the pipeline itself under the Pipeline Safety Act.
As Attorney General, Governor Shapiro negotiated a settlement with Energy Transfer to resolve violations associated with the construction of the ME2 pipeline. As part of the settlement agreement, Energy Transfer was required to pay $10 million toward dedicated projects that improve the quality of watersheds and streams along pipeline routes, including projects in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
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