Residents of Pennsylvania neighborhood where jet fuel contaminated water still demanding answers, solutions
Residents in one Bucks County, Pennsylvania, neighborhood are still waiting for answers amid concerns of contamination.
It's been more than four months since a jet fuel leak from Sunoco's Twin Oaks pipeline tainted the well water of seven homes in the Mt. Eyre neighborhood of Washington Crossing, Upper Makefield Township.
"We're still waiting for answers to a lot of really basic questions," Washington Crossing homeowner Naomi Robinson said. "How much fuel was spilled? How long was it ongoing before it was detected?"
Sunoco's parent company, Energy Transfer, began doing seismic refraction surveys, a technique for assessing soil conditions, on Thursday. But some residents said it's not enough. They want accountability and transparency.
CBS News Philadelphia
"We have three young children living here, so we're very concerned about what we may be drinking, what we may be breathing in," Washington Crossing homeowner Justine Zacharatos said.
Last month, Energy Transfer drilled three holes in the ground on Glenwood Drive to test daily for the presence of jet fuel in the groundwater table. Government regulators ordered the company to supply all residents in the neighborhood with bottled water and install well filters.
"We requested our normal delivery," Washington Crossing homeowner Rob Kuzniacki, who lives on Bruce Road, said. "We got a quick email back, the only communication on it, and it just said we're not in the impacted zone anymore and that's going to stop, along with testing. So, it's been frustrating and kind of confusing."
CBS News Philadelphia reached out to Energy Transfer about the water delivery problem and is still waiting to hear back.
Dozens of residents have filed a lawsuit and are demanding the pipeline be shut down.
"We don't know if any day our well could fill up with jet fuel, so it's a big concern," Zacharatos said.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has scheduled a virtual meeting to update residents on the remediation efforts on June 25 at 7 p.m.
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