Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
Officials have confirmed the discovery of jet fuel in another private well in the Mount Eyre section of Upper Makefield Township.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) confirmed that a private well tested positive for separate-phase liquid last month.
A monitoring well operated by Energy Transfer and its subsidiary, Sunoco, tested positive for jet fuel on April 1.
Since the leak was first identified in January 2025, at least 12 wells in the neighborhood have tested positive for jet fuel or related chemicals, including benzene.
The contamination stems from the 70-year-old Twin Oaks pipeline, which transports jet fuel from Delaware County refineries to Newark International Airport in New Jersey. Sunoco first reported the leak on Jan. 31, 2025.
Federal investigators with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) traced the failure to a faulty sleeve installed in 1995 over a dented section of pipe.
State officials report that 365 well tests have been conducted in the area, totaling 1,745 samples.
Under DEP orders, Energy Transfer is required to provide clean drinking water and install filtration systems for impacted residents.
The company is currently drilling four new private residential wells on Glenwood Drive, according to Upper Makefield Township officials.
David Fennimore, the township’s project coordinator, told supervisors that these new wells are reaching depths of 150 feet or more. He also noted that work is underway on a new system to pump out contamination.
Questions remain regarding the timeline of the spill. Sunoco stated the release likely began in May or June 2024, but one resident reported smelling and tasting oil in her water more than a year before the official discovery.
The DEP has requested further evidence to support the company’s claim regarding the 2024 start date for the leak.
The state agency has given Sunoco 60 days from April 22 to submit a formal remedial action plan to meet statewide health standards.
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The incident has triggered a criminal investigation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, with assistance from the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office. Federal regulators are also involved.
