Jet fuel leak in Bucks County: Residential water testing continues

Jet fuel leak: Residents concerned about leak remnants
Residents in the Washington Crossing neighborhood are speaking out after a pipeline was discovered to have been leaking jet fuel.
UPPER MAKEFIELD TWP., Pa. - It’s been more than a month since residents in the Mount Eyre neighborhood were told a broken underground Sunoco pipeline was leaking jet fuel, possibly for more than a year.
Testing of water wells in the area has continued.
What we know:
Drilling on the first of two recovery wells scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed "until we receive full access to the site," according to a statement by Energy Transfer.
On Monday, Bucks County Commissioners called for the complete shutdown of the pipeline until an independent authority deems it safe.
Energy Transfer, who operates the 106-mile Sunoco pipeline, called the leak a "slow drip" in a 14-inch steel pipe built in 1958.
On January 31st, the company announced the pipeline that starts in Aston, Delaware County and weaves through several suburban neighborhoods before ending up in Newark, New Jersey had been leaking.
What they're saying:
In regard to water testing, the company says,
"Energy Transfer’s third-party environmental consultants continue to perform water testing for residents and are now working through a second round of tests. As of 4 p.m. Monday, March 3, consultants have performed 301 first-round tests, 118 second-round tests and 11 post-treatment tests in the neighborhood. We have received results for 374 tests. The number of wells impacted either with light non-phase liquid petroleum (LNAPL) or with constituents present above statewide health standards remains at 6, and the number of wells with constituents present within the method reporting limit, but below statewide health standards, is 5. We continue to schedule and perform both first- and second-round water tests."
"We take showers at work, take showers at grandma's. Start having the 5-gallon jugs shipped in" said homeowner Kevin Wojnovich.
The pipeline leak happened across the street from Wojnovich's house.
His home is one of at least six where levels of fuel in drinking water tested above statewide safety standards.
Wojnovich says he reported the smell of fuel in his water to Sunoco back in September 2023. At the time, they said his water tested safe.
It wasn’t until late January of this year that Sunoco confirmed the leak.
After inspecting his property, Wojnovich says he found an astonishing 15 feet of jet fuel in his water well. The family stopped using water from the tap months ago.
"It comes in our well every day like anywhere between a couple inches to more than a foot. Of jet fuel every day. It’s from the leak," he said.
Although the break has been fixed, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the federal agency overseeing pipeline safety, says the jet fuel had been slowly leaking for the past 16 months. It’s not clear how much fuel leaked into the ground.
On Tuesday afternoon, Naomi Robinson and her son were trying to navigate around a parade of environmental testing equipment in their Mount Eyre neighborhood on the way home from the school bus stop.
Robinson is one of many locals worried about the safety of their water.
"I wonder if I go to turn on the water each morning am I going to be smelling fuel. Is it safe to drink? Is it safe to take their bath in?" said Robinson.
As water well testing continues, many residents like Robinson are investing in high-end carbon water filtration systems. Some residents say Sunoco is offering to cover the cost.
"This is not a one-day problem or weak problem. This is years, maybe decades," said Robinson.
On Tuesday, Energy Transfer declined a request for an interview with FOX 29.
What's next:
Energy Transfer set up a water distribution center for affected residents in Yardley. The company is purchasing a property in the neighborhood where they plan to drill 2 recovery wells.
Residents can call a hotline set up by the company for more information at 877-397-3383 or via email at uppermakefieldresponse@energytransfer.com
The Source: The information in this story is from Mount Eyre neighborhood residents, and Lower and Upper Makefield officials.