PENN TWP — Work on a gas pipeline near Hicks Road led to the release of Bentonite and mineral fiber in five residential water wells.

Mary Partridge, a Columbia Pipeline Group spokesman, said the two substances are nontoxic and naturally occurring, and often are used during pipeline construction and other pipeline work.

One of the residents, Frank Kennedy, said his well was affected roughly a week and a half ago, turning his water dark. He said he was told not to drink the water or cook with it, but he could bathe with it and flush the toilet with it.

“Not a good situation,” Kennedy said.

The Columbia project is being done by subcontractor Henkels and McCoy.

Partridge said Columbia provided temporary water supplies for the five affected residences, and said the company regrets the inconvenience.

“We are actively monitoring the condition of the impacted wells to ensure water quality is returned to pre-construction conditions as quickly as possible,” Partridge said.

Melanie Williams, a state Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman, said the incident is under investigation by the DEP.

The Butler County Conservation District on Tuesday was dispatched to inspect the project. Sue Vogel, district manager, did not return a call for comment.

Kennedy said his well was flushed and a filter was put on it on Tuesday, which eliminated the dark water.

However, for now, he said he still will drink bottled water just to be safe. He said that bottled water for everything was a good temporary solution, but was frustrated by the amount of time it took to get his well fixed.