After water scare, heat is on Sunoco’s Mariner pipeline
Homeowners in Exton say their wells were contaminated by drilling; one state Senator wants to halt project
Mariner East 2 operations continued Saturday in Exton, less than a week after a dozen residents allege drilling lubricant infiltrated their well water amidst construction of the pipeline project that will transport natural gas liquids across Pennsylvania.
Sunoco Pipeline LP had temporarily suspended operations after Chester County residents complained of significant sediment and discoloration of their drinking water.
Sen. Andrew Dinniman, D-19 of West Whiteland, called on Sunoco to suspend operations.
“I have asked Sunoco directly to cease drilling in Chester County until a comprehensive assessment of the damage to this aquifer can occur, a plan is put in place to restore safe water service to the affected residents, and steps are taken to ensure that a situation like this does not occur again,” Dinniman said to the Daily Local News.
Reports said Sunoco Pipeline LP resumed horizontal drilling of the Mariner East 2 pipeline in Exton on Saturday, despite the results of well water contamination testing taking approximately one week to complete.
Documents provided to the Daily Times allege both the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Sunoco Pipeline LP were aware the potential risks of horizontal directional drilling in the Exton area.
“Karst area near Exton and the East Whiteland compressor branch present additional risks of IRs (inadvertent releases) during HDD (horizontal directional drilling),” read the DEP analysis of pipeline construction filed Feb. 6, 2017.
Concerns were raised in the report regarding horizontal directional drilling within 300 feet of aqua wells near the Hillside well.
“Groundwater impacts from an inadvertent return cannot be directly visually observed from the surface. Any loss of circulation is the only indicator of drilling fluid migrating out of the borehole into the groundwater,” the report continues.
In neighboring West Goshen, Chester County, the township filed a petition for an injunction with the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission Monday night, alleging Sunoco Pipeline LP breached the terms of a settlement agreement regarding construction of value stations along Mariner East 2.
The township claims Sunoco Pipeline LP recently began construction to install and operate an above-ground pipeline valve at mile marker 344 near Greenhill and Boot roads, a different location than agreed upon and without notifying residents, the press release from West Goshen Township claims.
Chester County residents affected by contaminated water on Valley View Drive were given drinking water, replacement water pumps and were provided with the opportunity of rooms in nearby hotels. The samples for well water contamination testing were only collected on Friday, the same day local officials and residents were made aware that recent construction activity may have impacted the quality and safety of drinking water for homeowners.
“I was horrified to hear that this project may be impacting Chester County well water,” Dinniman continued. “We listened to Sunoco assure residents at numerous public meetings that impacts from this project would be minimal. The loss of safe drinking water hardly seems like a minimal impact.
“My constituents who live near this construction zone are deeply concerned that the continued disturbance will result in irreparable damage to their source of drinking water. To advance construction before determining the degree of damage is simply wrong.”
The concern that state legislators have raised is the lack of transparency from Sunoco Logistics and Sunoco Pipe LP in revealing environmental waste leakages into waterways to the residents before their water sources are compromised.
Sunoco Logistics spokesperson Jeff Shields was reached by phone Monday but did not respond to request for comment.
State Rep. Carolyn Comitta,
D-156, of West Chester, plans to introduce legislation to create a state board that would be responsible for implementing and coordinating the timely communication of information regarding pipeline activities in Pennsylvania.
“I believe it is important that these residents be provided with proper communication both before and during construction regarding pipeline-related roadway infrastructure and traffic congestion, noise, environmental impacts, health and safety issues and, perhaps most importantly, evacuation plans in case of a pipeline explosion
or other Comitta said.
The proposed bill has 25 bipartisan cosponsors, including Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky, D-161 of Swarthmore.
“My primary concern is the safety of the residents I represent,” KruegerBraneky wrote in a statement to the Daily Times. “We’ve already seen three spills of drilling fluid in the Chester Creek and now drinking water has been compromised in nearby Chester County.”
“So I’ve signed onto a bill that would improve transparency and communication on pipeline projects to keep our residents safe and informed.”
While not seeping directly into the private water sources of residents, a
emergency,”
similar leak of the bentonite clay — the naturally occurring absorbent clay used in the lubrication of the drilling and cutting tools in horizontal drilling — muddied the waters of Chester Creek in Brookhaven in May.
The DEP issued a notice of violation on May 9, citing the “inadvertent release” of drilling solution. The solution, bentonite, is classified as industrial waste and the discharge was a violation of the state clean streams law.
Sunoco Pipeline LP was given five days to complete the cleanup.
“We continue to work with the DEP to complete our work while ensuring the protection of Chester Creek,” said Senior Director of Public Affairs for Sunoco Pipeline LP Joseph McGinn, regarding the bentonite leak in Brookhaven.
“The entire Chester Creek Road work area will be fully restored upon completion of construction.”
A letter provided by Eric Friedman, spokesman for the Middletown Coalition for Community Safety, contained an inspection report the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection filed against Sunoco Pipeline LP.
The incident details include information on 500 gallons of bentonite clay and water that leaked into Chester Creek caused by a “inadvertent return” during the installation of horizontal directional drills.
A DEP inspector visited the site and determined that Sunoco Pipeline LP had “cleaned up pretty well” and installed a containment area around the bentonite
return area.
The letter continues, “(Sunoco) say that have lost about 20,000 (gallons) of fluid over the past days so who knows where that went. Will see.”
For the homeowners on Valley View Drive in Exton, where many rely on wells for drinking water, the impacts come much closer to
home.
“I am angered that the company never notified myself or any of my neighbors that a breach occurred two-weeks ago,” said West Whiteland homeowner, David Mano. “And why didn’t they know the geology of the area before they started drilling to avoid such a breach in the first place?”