Sunoco Pipeline LP resumed construction of its new underground liquid natural gas line in Chester County, Pennsylvania Saturday after it was suspended due to water contamination concerns.
Twelve residents in West Whiteland and Uwchlan townships reported problems with water coming from private wells starting Monday, a Sunoco Pipeline spokesman said Friday. Some had water service interrupted while others said water from the tap was murky. Valerie Ross, one of the residents, told NBC10 she's not only concerned about the construction but also what could come down the line.
"My biggest fear is that there will be a leak and it will be undetected for a certain amount of time and then it will be too late for the whole community," Ross said.
The energy company offered bottled water and hotel rooms to the families affected, the official said. They also tested 20 private wells for contamination and are waiting for full results.
The Mariner East 2 pipeline will carry 275,000 barrels liquid natural gas a day from Ohio and western Pennsylvania to a processing facility in Marcus Hook, Delaware County. The 20-inch pipe and a second 16-inch line cuts through 23.6 miles of land in Chester County and 11.4 miles in Delaware County, county planners say. The pipeline has been the subject of ire and protest across the state.
Crews were conducting horizontal drilling Monday when the water issue began, Sunoco said. The company resumed construction Saturday. Crews later went home in the evening.
