Upper Makefield Township considers pipeline replacement project

Energy Transfer, a midstream energy company that transports oil and gas, wants to replace part of an existing fuel-carrying pipeline in Upper Makefield that also runs beneath the Delaware River into New Jersey.
To do so, the firm will need conditional use approval from the Upper Makefield Board of Supervisors.
Supervisors recently held a hearing in which representatives for Energy Transfer presented testimony on the project.
A couple of residents raised concerns about the pipeline while supervisors adjourned the meeting without rendering a final decision, opting to take the legally allowed time to further deliberate. Energy Transfer has already obtained various state and federal permits they need to perform the project, officials said.
Representatives said the current pipeline, located along Oakdale Avenue and dating to the 1950s, is in need of replacing, as current temporary repairs that have been made are insufficient for the long-term integrity of the line.
Officials said the plan is to put in a new pipe that runs in a riparian buffer zone in Upper Makefield before heading under the river, where there is also an existing pipe that will be improved. 
A riparian buffer is typically a vegetated area that helps shade and partially protect a waterway from impact from adjacent land uses. Pipelines are allowed as a conditional use in such areas, but require conditional use approval, officials said.

The pipe would be about 14 inches in diameter and capable of carrying 4,200 gallons of fuel per hour, according to testimony. Fuel could include gas, jet fuel, diesel, and home heating oil. Testimony was that the line, which terminates in Newark, would often carry jet fuel.
The project would take about four months to complete, according to testimony. About three of those months would be for construction. The final month would be for things that include restoring the surface to pre-construction condition with seeding and the like.
The plan would be to work six days a week, with Sundays being dormant. There would likely be a lane closure as work proceeded, and with equipment going, residents can expect decibel levels of 80 to 85 from the operations, according to testimony. Representatives said sound walls would help protect against the noise. Project leaders will have to put sedimentation and erosion control measures in place, too.
The old pipe would reportedly be purged, cleaned and filled with grout.
Resident Ellen Radow raised concern about potential chemicals used during construction and truck traffic. “Almost constant truck traffic … can get noisy,” she said.
Resident Priscilla Linden worried about possible pollution from the pipe. “I think you better be careful,” she told supervisors. 

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