Pennsylvania woman worries about water safety after jet fuel leak in her Bucks County neighborhood
Homeowners in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, are dealing with the aftermath of an environmental disaster.
Federal investigators said an underground pipe carrying jet fuel leaked and went undetected for 16 months.
Upper Makefield homeowner Kristine Wojnovich is one of six homeowners whose wells were tainted after a Sunoco pipe buried across the street from her house cracked, seeping jet fuel into the ground. Sunoco discovered the leak on January 31.
"I went to get a drink of water from our kitchen faucet, and it smelled and tasted like gasoline," Wojnovich said.
Energy Transfer, Sunoco's parent company, said it replaced the damaged section and performed an inspection. The pipeline was returned to service on Feb. 2, according to Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), the federal agency that's investigating the case.
PHMSA said the 105-mile pipeline carries petroleum products from the Twin Oaks Terminal in Aston, Delaware County, to the Newark Terminal in Newark, New Jersey.
"They measured 12.34 feet of jet fuel at the top of my well that's been collecting there since September 2023," Wojnovich said.
She said she has been drinking bottled water for the last year and a half, along with voicing her concerns at township meetings.
Pennsylvania state Sen. Steve Santasiero wrote a letter asking PHMSA to shut the pipe down.
"We're not 100% sure there aren't other leaks in that pipeline," Santasiero said. "We've gotten an oral response at the meeting, which is to say, PHMSA, the federal agency, does not believe shutting the pipe down is warranted."
Sunoco contractors returned to the neighborhood Tuesday to investigate the cause of the leak.
The company said it conducted 127 water samples with an additional 102 tests pending.
Wojnovich said Sunoco told her the water is now safe to drink, but she has doubts.
"I'm really concerned for the welfare of my family and the whole community," Wojnovich said.
The township is hosting another meeting on this issue Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Sol Feinstone Elementary School.
