Energy Transfer has published our full presentation from the public meeting this past Thursday, Feb. 13, on our incident website. Additionally, we have populated a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the website, which we will continually update to address ongoing questions, and to share more information as it is available. The next public meeting is scheduled on Thursday, Feb. 27, at Sol Feinstone Elementary School (1090 Eagle Road., Newtown, PA 18940). The time has not been set.
Over the weekend, we continued to secure additional resources to fulfill residents’ needs as we work through this response. It is our top priority to respond to residents and secure the resources they need related to the scheduling and reimbursement of water testing and water filtration systems. We have established our local community support center, located at our Bucks Pump Station (1798 Dolington Road, Yardley, PA). The center is now staffed during normal business hours and is available as an additional resource for residents.
We continue to install carbon filtration systems for impacted and eligible residents. The map of the buffer area for eligible residents, which was shown in our meeting presentation, is also available on our website. Energy Transfer is committed to covering the cost of the system appropriate for each home and asks that eligible and interested residents contact uppermakefieldresponse@energytransfer.com to request installation.
We plan to commence geophysical resistivity testing and passive soil gas testing throughout the neighborhood to better understand the geology and groundwater flow. This process is done using long cables that use electrically resistive signals to locate the bedrock and its fractures below the surface. The passive soil gas survey will also help delineate the subsurface hydrocarbon-impacted area and groundwater flow in the area. This identification will inform our planning for the site characterization and remediation process.
Based on all of our efforts to date, we continue to narrow the potential area of impact. We have now begun the process of performing a second round of tests for properties within the narrowed impact area. As of 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 17, our third-party environmental consultants have performed 188 water tests in the neighborhood, which now includes a number of second-round tests. We have received results for 115 of those. Of the 115, the number with hydrocarbons present above statewide health standards remains at 6. We have 46 first-round and 13 second-round water tests scheduled (or in the process of being scheduled). We will continue to provide bottled water to concerned landowners, which can now also be picked up at our community support center.
As we continue to investigate previously repaired locations along the pipeline, under the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA’s) oversight, to date we have found no evidence of other leaks. PHMSA continues to oversee all of our pipeline operations and integrity work, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) continues to provide environmental oversight as it relates to both our short-term and long-term remediation and cleanup efforts. We are working with the DEP on our Act 2 remediation plan; more information on Act 2 can be found on the DEP website.