“We fought it, and we fought it, and we fought it,” she said, but with little success – and now, construction is underway. the pipeline: A chapel is part of the fight now Read more: Here's what to expect during Sunoco pipeline construction Recent events have only increased her apprehension. In West Whiteland Township, Chester County, 15 households reported wells turning cloudy or drying up. Pipeline builder Sunoco has been paying for bottled water for the residents and has agreed to pay to hook them up to a public water supply. View Gallery: Photos: An aerial view of the Mariner East pipeline construction Drill, baby, drill? It’s led some legislators and environmental groups to call for a halt to drilling associated with the pipeline.Įxperts say it’s unlikely but not impossible that a similar problem will occur again in the center part of the state – and they recommend the dozens of residents with wells potentially impacted by the pipeline take steps to protect themselves in case it does.
In a July 14 letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, state Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, called for a halt to horizontal directional drilling, a technique that involves drilling a hole into the ground and feeding the pipeline through the hole. In general, that technique is considered friendlier to environmentally sensitive areas than digging open trenches, said Sam Earman, an associate professor of geology at Millersville University. It’s also used for placing the pipeline under roadways. More: Pipeline construction underway in Lebanon County However, it requires the use of “drilling mud,” a mixture of water and clay that could potentially travel along the water table and impact well water, Earman said. Typically, the fluid is contained to the area in which the drilling occurs, he said. Horizontal drilling is also normally much shallower than vertically drilled wells, increasing odds that well water won’t be impacted.īut in karst geology – eroded rock that frequently occurs in limestone-rich areas – all bets are off. The karst development can act like pipes through which water flows quickly, allowing the “drilling mud” to travel, Earman said.
Sunoco’s drilling mud consists of water that is safe to drink and non-toxic bentonite, a naturally occurring clay, Shields said.Ī well could also go dry if the overall flow of water below the surface was disrupted, Earman said.Īccording to Shields, that’s what happened in Chester County. The drilling had lowered the water level in the wells, which stirred sediment on the bottom of the well, resulting in cloudy water, he said.
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