Energy Transfer (ET) continues to bore under wetlands and the stream in Meadowbrook Manor. The construction is in compliance with state regulations and is not posing risks from sinkholes, which is why state regulators must allow construction to continue. At the same time, as has been the case throughout the long ordeal of Mariner East construction, it is a disruption to neighbors and the environment. As a local government, West Whiteland Township does not have any authority over pipeline construction, but we have gathered information from the state and ET to share with the public.
For a while, ET had stopped boring because ground water kept filling up the bore pit. The effort to remove the ground water from the bore pit led to muddy water getting into the stream.
The PA Department of Environmental Protection and the Chester County Conservation District have inspected the erosion and sedimentation (E&S) controls at the construction site and found them to be in compliance with state regulations and ET’s permit. The inspectors noted that turbidity is a regular observation on construction sites that have clay in the soil as those particles are small and often escape E&S controls. They also noted that ET has installed E&S controls beyond what is required and is submitting a plan for adding more E&S controls.
ET resumed boring last week. Progress is slow because they are drilling through very hard rock. The amount of time it is taking to complete the bore is not helping conditions in the stream. The longer they are set up to bore, the longer they will be pumping ground water out of the bore pit. It also prolongs the time that neighbors have to endure living next to a major construction site.
It has been reported that small sinkholes have opened up along this bore. These sinkholes are different from the large voids that shut down pipeline construction a couple years ago by Lisa Drive. The sinkholes by this bore opened in an area where construction fill had been buried years ago, as well as on top of the bore ridge line. These depressions were settling due to construction, not sink holes that pose a risk to homes or utilities in the area.