New Sinkhole Discovered Near Chesco Pipeline

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — As geologists are evaluating risk to the Chester Valley Trail by Sunoco's Mariner East 2 pipeline project a sinkhole has been discovered in Exton.

Meanwhile, another geologist is blowing the whistle on the pipeline permit approval process, saying Sunoco has been editing inspections reports.

Geostructures, Inc. was contracted for $32,500 in late August to assess the risk posed by pipeline work to county property, including risk to the Chester Valley Trail and Chester County Library. The action by Chester County's board of commissioners followed an early-August spill of 8,000 gallons of drilling fluid into Marsh Creek State Park wetlands.

In the area under inspection along the Chester Valley Trail a sinkhole has turned up.

"There is a new hole on the north side of Lincoln Highway and the Chester Valley Trail, on the east side of the Mariner East valve site, about three feet deep and three feet in diameter. The hole is roughly five feet from Mariner East 1," said a stake-holding resident and activist, Ginny Kerslake.

"It's in line with a series of cracks that started developing on this slope this summer when the sinkholes were forming nearby along the path of Mariner East construction," Kerslake said on Monday.

The county's geologist have been on site in Exton, neighbors reported. Geostructures has not issued an official report of their findings. Chester County officials said on Tuesday that "the geologist report is ongoing."

Meanwhile, another geologist has filed a lawsuit claiming obstruction of the permit process, and falsification of reports. The lawsuit, filed by Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services, states that geologists making permit-related inspections were not allowed to do the work necessary.

The whistleblower geologist alleges that geologists were told to report subsidences, or sinkholes, using the term "earth feature." The lawsuit also alleges that reports made by professional geologists were altered by non-geologists.

"It took a whistleblower to point out the exact same things that we have been concerned about and pointing out for months. Thankful to finally see this action taken by county officials," Kerslake said.

Permits for Sunoco's Mariner East 2 pipeline presently allow it to cross 1,227 streams, 570 wetlands, and 11 ponds. Of these regulated streams, 69 are Special Protection waters including 12 designated as High Quality Cold-Water Fishery, 40 designated as High Quality-Trout Stocking Fishery and 17 being designated as Exceptional Value, and 92 Exceptional Value wetlands, according to the Fair Shake's lawsuit.

The Chester Valley Trail area that Geostructures is evaluating for impact by Sunoco roughly follows U.S. Routes 30 and 202 through central Chester County from West Whiteland Township east into Montgomery County.

Chester Valley Trail is part of "The Circuit," a planned 750-mile trail network throughout Greater Philadelphia. All open segments of the trail are managed and maintained by the Chester County Department of Facilities and Parks.

Kerslake, whose property is impacted by pipeline construction, posted video of the sinkhole on social media, shown below.