This has been an ongoing issue for about six months officially, but residents say they suspected a leak in the Sunoco, Energy Transfer-operated pipeline as far back as 2023.
In a meeting on Tuesday night coordinated by township officials, the Pa. DEP offered updates to residents on their coordination of corrective actions and enforcement with Energy Transfer over the last few months.
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Residents pushed the DEP for quicker answers and more accountability from the DEP.
"If nobody forces them, nothing will happen," said one resident.
"How much fuel spilled and where is it? That answer is unattainable and everyone has had enough," said township board member Tom Cino.
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Residents are frustrated by the pace of remediation and other solutions.
"We agree that it's not happening fast enough and we're using some of the tools available to us to encourage that to happen," said Pa. DEP local government liaison Lisa Strobridge.
In a July 9 letter https://files.dep.state.pa.us/RegionalResources/SERO/SEROPortalFiles/Community%20Info/UpperMakefield/2025-07-11/July%209,%202025,%20DEP%20Letter%20to%20SPLP%20on%20Site%20Characterization%20Plan.pdf the DEP requested a full site characterization report from Energy Transfer to understand the extent of contamination by Sept 2. Energy Transfer was also asked to conduct more testing to assess potential toxic vapor in homes and to install three additional monitoring wells by July 31 and at least four more by August 15.
Even as residents remain frustrated, a township official says things are moving in a positive direction.
"There's still a lot of concern about the groundwater conditions, but there is progress being made," said David Fennimore, Upper Makefield Project Coordinator.
The DEP said they're relying on voluntary compliance before triggering more aggressive enforcement against pipeline operators.
For now, the pipeline continues to operate but at reduced pressure, and residents are still being provided with bottled water, and wells also continue to be treated.