Kimberly Paynter / WHYY
The crew on the Drillboat Apache brings in lines tied to explosives used to break up rocks at the bottom of the Delaware River near Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. It’s one of the final stages of a controversial project to deepen the river’s shipping channel.
StateImpact Pennsylvania, Newsworks.org, WHYY and NJ Spotlight are collaborating on a series of stories about the Delaware River Watershed.
The watershed stretches from upstate New York through Pennsylvania and New Jersey, emptying out in the Delaware Bay. It supplies water to more than 15 million people, or about 5% of the nation’s population. Its natural lands both protect clean water and provide a habitat of regional and hemispheric importance.
The story of the river includes stories of its people and wildlife that depend on it for survival; the threats to continued sources of clean water; and the river as an economic engine.
The project is funded by The William Penn Foundation. Below are contributions from StateImpact Pennsylvania.
By
Jon Hurdle 
An independent consultant’s risk assessment said someone would be more likely to die from falling down stairs than in a pipeline explosion. Yet a leak would be more likely to ignite in a densely populated area because there are more ignition sources.
By
Jon Hurdle 
An administrative law judge for the state Public Utility Commission heard a second day of testimony Friday on whether to continue to allow operation of the controversial Mariner East pipelines while she reviews a request that the lines be permanently shut down. Several residents say Sunoco’s public awareness plan in the event of a leak is inadequate.
By
Marie Cusick 
By
Jon Hurdle 
The line, built in the 1930s and upgraded in 2016, is among three that Sunoco plans to use as a substitute for Mariner East 2 while construction on that project is finished. Three school superintendents had asked PUC to help assess the line’s safety.
By
Jon Hurdle 
The company has joined three different lines to create a cross-state route for natural gas liquids. It says it will be able to fulfill customer orders.
By
Jon Hurdle 
By
Scott Blanchard 
The cross-state natural gas liquids pipeline Mariner East 2 was supposed to begin operation by the end of September. Now, the company has come up with a workaround after acknowledging another lengthy delay in its pipeline project.
By
Jon Hurdle 
