The leak at the Quakertown station reportedly caused an intense noise akin to a jet engine.
The West Rockhill Board of Supervisors is demanding answers following a recent gas leak at the Adelphia compressor station.
The leak, which occurred on the evening of Friday, Nov. 15, was attributed to a broken nipple on a valve along an older section of the pipeline. It reportedly caused an intense noise akin to a jet engine and persisted for approximately two hours, with the fumes reaching Perkasie borough.
“This piece that blew off, I would love to know how old that was and how long that’s been around and why it wasn’t changed to new stuff,” said board Chairman Jay Keyser at the Nov. 20 Board of Supervisors meeting. “It was part of the existing equipment.”
The station, located at 2920 Ridge Hill Road, is part of a project retrofitting an existing 84-mile oil pipeline for natural gas. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which has authority over the station, approved the project in December 2019, despite resident concerns about public safety, pollution and noise. The township unsuccessfully spent over $300,000 on legal battles against the station.
At the meeting, Keyser criticized the ongoing lack of transparency and communication from both FERC and Adelphia.
“It’s very hard to get any answers out of FERC and Adelphia. There is limited information that we have,” said Keyser. “To this day, they have never come in here and applied for a permit or gone along with any of our ordinances.”
In response to the leak, the township drew up a letter to FERC outlining resident concerns, including a delayed emergency response, inadequate communication from Adelphia, insufficient regulatory oversight of the aging infrastructure, noise pollution and a purported dismissive attitude by an on-site Department of Energy representative.
The letter also made several recommendations, such as mandating prompt communication with the local authorities during public emergencies, requiring Adelphia to release the pipeline integrity data, imposing additional noise mitigation requirements and ensuring a consistent and robust regulatory approach to prevent further incidents.
“The township has been unable to gain meaningful regulatory control over these issues, even after incurring over $300,000 of legal and engineering expenses,” read the letter. “It is evident that our community needs FERC’s immediate and decisive action to protect the safety and well-being of our residents.”
The letter copied both U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and U.S. Senator John Fetterman. Board chairman Jay Keyser promised to personally convey the residents’ concerns to Fitzpatrick.
“I will be making sure that I communicate with him if nothing is done about this,” said Keyser. “We’re not gonna let this thing sit. Just because they have the authority tobdo whatever they want to do, they still have to provide us with answers for our residents’ safety and welfare. I’m gonna stay on it.”
The board advertised the 2025 budget with no tax increases. The balanced budget projects a revenue and expenditures of $3,145,801. Highlights include $610,225 for road repairs, up from $550,630 in 2024, $13,000 for the Holiday House pool and $2,500 for the Pennridge Senior Center. The final budget is scheduled for approval at the board’s December meeting.
ARPA funding projects
The board allocated $100,000 in outstanding American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for fire department recruitment and training. Proposed expenses include course materials, training props, recruitment literature and flyer displays, stipends for members and students and banquets and award ceremonies. The funding will be evenly split by the township’s four fire departments.
The board also sanctioned the purchase of a $5,246 speed board. Township manager Greg Lippincott listed the benefits as reduced traffic speeds, improved road safety and the collection of traffic data for planning and maintenance purposes. He also noted that the speed board is trackable and equipped with cameras.
New commercial building
Planning Commission chair Chris Derstine reported on a proposed 12,000-square-foot building on the southwest corner of the Bethlehem Pike and Forrest Road intersection. The applicant is a business related to delivering, repairing and installing appliances for big box stores, with an estimated six employees and six company vehicles on site. Derstine said that the commission is recommending the widening of the proposed entrance on Forrest Road and that the developer will present an amended sketch plan in the future.
The board also took time to note the rejection of a November referendum requesting the residents’ permission to borrow up to $3 million to renovate the Holiday House pool. The project would have cost the average household $129 per year, a 56% property tax increase. The final vote was 52.5% to 47.5% against the referendum.
“The no’s outvoted the yes’s, so we will not be proposing a tax on the residents for the Holiday House pool,” said Keyser.
The next West Rockhill Board of Supervisors meeting is on December 18 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit westrockhilltownship.org.
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