Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
2 new incidents increase residents’ unease over pipeline
Aqua crew strikes pipeline in Middletown; was it at proper depth?
MIDDLETOWN » On May 21, an Aqua America scratched a nonoperational Mariner East 2 pipeline after the water company was instructed the line was lower than it actually was, Aqua officials stated.
The incident is under investigation by Energy Transfer Partners LP, the owner of the controversial pipeline project, and the Pipeline Safety Division of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
Donna Alston, communications manager for Aqua America, said repairs were made May 21 and 22 and that there was no adverse impact as a result of the incident.
She shared Aqua’s perspective on what occurred.
“Regarding the pipeline incident, it took place in Middletown on May 21 during one of our main replacement projects,” Alston said. “A Sunoco representative provided our contractor the depth of the Sunoco pipe as 9 feet and was on-site when the incident took place. The part of the inactive Mariner 2 East Sunoco pipe with which our contractor came in contact was buried at about 6 feet.”
She added, “The tooth of our contractor’s bucket scraped the pipe, scratching off part of its exterior coating.”
Lisa Dillinger of Energy Transfer issued a statement on behalf of the company.
It read, “The coating on our 20(-inch) ME2 line, which is not in service, was scratched by a third party, however, there was no damage to the pipe. We have launched an internal investigation into the matter to determine the details surrounding this event.”
Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, press secretary for the Pennsylvania PUC, confirmed the commission’s Pipeline Safety Division was investigating the matter and said any further communications would be based on the results of the study. He said it was unknown how long the study would take as they vary based on their unique circumstances.
Some community members voiced concern about the incident, which is in the vicinity of the Glenwood Elementary School.
“The only reason we didn’t have a catastrophe in the last two weeks is because the pipeline was not operational,” said Eve Miari of Upper Providence and one of the founders of the Middletown Coalition for Community Safety, during Tuesday’s Delaware County Council agenda meeting. “It will be at some point.”
She said the public needs more safeguards.
“More public outreach should be done,” Miari said. “Sunoco has failed to take reasonable efforts to warn and protect the public of reasonable dangers.”
On Thursday, on the group’s Facebook page, she directed community members to call Gov. Tom Wolf to say this incident is “the last straw.”
Others cite quality of life issues during the construction.
Eric Friedman of DelChesco United for Pipeline Safety noted ongoing problems with discharges that have plagued residents at the 114-apartment Tunbridge Apartments on Glen Riddle Road in Middletown.
“It’s a disaster area,” he said. “It’s a disaster area.”
One of Tunbridge’s owners, Brooke Cottman, gave his own description.
“The water and clay is bubbling up under our buildings,” he said. “We don’t know if the building foundations is being washed away or what.”
Pipeline officials say it’s water that’s under control.
Dillinger issued another statement that read, “It is regular groundwater that has pooled and per our DEP permit we are maintaining groundwater levels with vac trucks and containment methods.”
Cottman said the subcontractors have made it difficult there and impeded on residents’ quality of life.
“They have taken over and they are driving the tenants crazy,” he said. “They are disrupting our business. It’s a big mess. They start at 6 o’clock in the morning. The Mariner contractors are so arrogant they won’t even give you their name when you ask them.”
He said they park big trucks in the complex at 5 a.m. and they’re there working until 9 p.m.
“We can’t keep up with the tenants’ complaints,” Cottman said. “They’re all disturbed and they’re all moving out.”
“More public outreach should be done,” Miari said. “Sunoco has failed to take reasonable efforts to warn and protect the public of reasonable dangers.” — Upper Providence’s Eve Miari