Just across the Delaware River, a few miles from the border of Hopewell Township, families in Bucks County are living with the aftermath of a jet fuel pipeline leak that has contaminated drinking water wells, raised serious health concerns, and shaken confidence in government oversight.
Sunoco Pipeline LP, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer, has acknowledged that more than 6,000 gallons of fuel leaked from a buried pipeline near the Mount Eyre neighborhood earlier this year. The leak—believed to have begun months before detection—has forced residents to rely on bottled water, have filtration systems installed, and question the safety of their homes and health.
The incident wasn’t detected by Energy Transfer or its internal monitoring systems—it was reported by the public after strong fuel odors were noticed near Mount Eyre Road on January 22. Within days, Sunoco identified the leak and began cleanup efforts, but the damage had already spread to groundwater and private wells.
“Can we agree that their product is our pollution?” asked Kimberly Smith, one of dozens of residents who packed a July 15 town hall hosted at the Upper Makefield Township municipal building. “You all call it product, but it is pollution and poison once it leaves the pipeline.”
Timeline of Odors and Leak Discovery
Odor complaints in the Mount Eyre area were first reported in October 2022. For more than a year, residents noticed fuel smells but received no clear explanation from Sunoco. On January 22, 2025, new complaints prompted a response that ultimately revealed a jet fuel leak. By January 23, Sunoco confirmed the breach and began excavation.
“PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration) has now confirmed the leak was not found by any internal detection system,” said Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. “That should be alarming to anyone living near this pipeline. We need full transparency and an independent review of pipeline safety along the entire route.”
The company reported the pipeline leak to federal regulators and launched preliminary containment efforts. In February, PHMSA issued a proposed safety order, citing both the failure and the company’s history of odor complaints in the area.
Cleanup Progress and Resident Frustration
More than six months into the cleanup, only 260 gallons of fuel have been recovered—less than 5% of the total released. “The recovery numbers are shocking,” one resident told PADEP officials. “Where is the rest of it? Are you even looking?”
State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, who represents the area, told DEP officials that Energy Transfer, Sunoco’s parent company, has failed to act transparently or responsibly. “We are not dealing with a good actor here,” Santarsiero said. “They have not done the right thing from day one.”
PADEP officials said they were also frustrated by the pace of the company’s response and noted troubling new data. “The rate of work has been unsatisfying,” said David Brown, environmental cleanup manager at DEP. He said recent sub-slab vapor testing at nearby homes showed “fairly elevated levels” of toxic chemicals, a surprising result that requires further investigation.
Residents said the company has failed to test some wells consistently and has not provided a full accounting of what chemicals may have been in the pipeline over its lifetime. Some homes that previously tested negative for contamination are now showing new hits for fuel-related compounds and even legacy pollutants like lead.
“There are two things that everyone here wants to know and have wanted to know since day one,” said Upper Makefield Supervisor Thomas Cino. “How much fuel spilled and where is it? We need help to get the answers that everyone wants and needs to know.”
To date, more than 100 homes have had water filtration systems installed, and many others have been contacted by Sunoco/Energy Transfer over the last six months regarding well testing. With much of the leaked fuel still unaccounted for, residents are calling for more frequent and comprehensive testing. Some worry that the contamination plume may still be spreading, especially as additional homes begin to test positive for fuel-related chemicals.
Understanding the Pipeline
The Twin Oaks Pipeline is a 14-inch-diameter pipeline that transports petroleum products—including jet fuel, diesel, and gasoline—from the Twin Oaks Terminal in Aston, Pennsylvania, to the Newark Terminal in Newark, New Jersey. It was originally constructed in 1958 and includes one breakout tank in Newark and one pump station in Bucks County, PA.
The pipeline is regulated by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), which confirmed in June 2025 that the leak in Upper Makefield has been repaired and the pipeline is operating at 80% capacity under a consent order while investigations continue. PHMSA maintains sole oversight of the safety of the pipeline because it crosses state lines.
Previous Construction Under the Delaware River
In 2021, Sunoco Pipeline LP replaced a 1,350-foot segment of the Twin Oaks Pipeline under the Delaware River near Jacobs Creek using horizontal directional drilling (HDD)—a method selected to minimize disruption to wetlands and the riverbed. The replacement followed internal inspections and was intended to address pipeline integrity in that section. However, the new segment connected to older infrastructure on either side, including areas near the Mount Eyre neighborhood, where the 2025 leak occurred.
Sleeve Failures and Safety Gaps
According to the May 2025 consent agreement, the Upper Makefield jet fuel leak stemmed from a failed Type A repair sleeve. PHMSA identified at least 10 other sleeves on the same pipeline with similar configurations and corrosion risks of the more than 40 total Type A sleeves across the length of the pipeline. These are now subject to mandatory inspections and possible excavation. Initial inspections of the pipeline have not shown any other leaks.
A Type A sleeve, according to PHMSA, is a steel repair method used to reinforce areas of a pipeline where external defects—such as corrosion or dents—have been identified but do not penetrate through the pipe wall. A Type A sleeve does not seal a leaking pipeline. Instead, it fully encircles the pipe and is welded together along its length, but left unwelded at the ends.
PHMSA’s Bryan Lethcoe, Director of Pipeline Safety for the Southwest Region, acknowledged the concerns during a June 25 briefing: “I believe Sunoco could do better. Sunoco should do better, and you deserve better as folks that live next to this pipeline.”
Lethcoe confirmed that the leak was discovered not by company monitoring systems, but by local residents. Under the consent agreement, Sunoco is now required to review and upgrade its leak detection system.
“There is no indication of any releases on the New Jersey side, so there is no need for NJDEP to get involved,” Lethcoe said. When questioned about why odor complaints went unaddressed for 16 months, PHMSA stated that some documentation had been submitted but not all reports could yet be made public due to the ongoing investigation. Lethcoe did note that Sunoco did not immediately check the Type A sleeve location.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) confirmed that they are not involved with any of the monitoring of the Twin Oaks pipeline at this time.
Pipeline Route Raises Alarm in New Jersey
The 105.5-mile pipeline, known as the Twin Oaks line, continues into New Jersey beneath Jacobs Creek and through Hopewell Township. It runs past Capital Health Medical Center, under Route 31 and Denow Road near the Stop & Shop, and through neighborhoods like Reed Road and the proposed “The Venue” residential development on Scotch Road.
Irene Etkin Goldman, a Ewing resident and member of the group Concerned Citizens for Ewing and Hopewell, has been urging greater transparency around the pipeline’s path as the proposed “The Venue” development is reviewed by the Planning Board. “Once that jet fuel breaks into these properties, that pipeline, it’s all downhill, and it seeps in. We’re on wells. I have a well. My neighbor across the creek has a well. Neighbors up the road in Hopewell Township are on wells,” Goldman said. “Hopewell should call for a pause and not allow The Venue project to proceed at this time.”
“Even if the contamination has not yet reached New Jersey, we know that the pipeline is old, corroded in places, and is the same pipe that leaked just five miles away. The aquifer doesn’t care about municipal borders — and residents deserve to know their water is safe,” said Carluccio.
New Jersey officials are watching the developments. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12) said the pipeline presents long-term risks to families who rely on well water. “I’ve long been an opponent of dangerous pipelines cutting through our communities. In 2021 I introduced the Safer Pipelines Act with Congressman Malinowski to address many of the concerns we’re seeing today,” she told MercerMe. “Many residents of the 12th district use well water that is routinely put at risk by companies that put profits before people.”
“The time to act is now and not after there is a problem in Hopewell Township,” said Hopewell Township Mayor Courtney Peters Manning. “I will do everything in my power to make sure that happens and we get the information we need.”
What’s Next
Sunoco is required to submit a formal remedial work plan to PHMSA by July 31. Once received, PHMSA will review the plan to assess its adequacy and determine whether further oversight or corrective action is needed. The investigation into the root cause of the Upper Makefield leak—and inspections of other pipeline segments—remains ongoing.
Community members continue to call for full public disclosure of test results, broader groundwater monitoring, and greater transparency from both the company and regulators.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ), who serves on the Senate subcommittee with oversight of PHMSA, has not yet commented publicly but confirmed through staff that he is reviewing the issue.
As residents on both sides of the Delaware River demand greater accountability, environmental advocates warn that the incident is a symptom of broader systemic failures.
“The public has a right to know what’s under their feet — and what’s in their water. That’s not just a public health issue. It’s a basic environmental justice issue,” Carluccio said.
All photos are by Seth Siditsky. The map of the pipeline was assembled by Seth Siditsky using the PHMSA mapping tools.
