Vermont authorities say underground fuel tanks are being removed as an investigation into a "sizeable" gas leak in Essex Junction takes place.
Chuck Schwer of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation says businesses adjacent to the Champlain Farms Gulf station complained in late May and early June about gas fumes coming out of area storm drains.
He told the Burlington Free Press that the property owner has complied with the department’s recommendations for the site.
Schwer says the owner hired environmental consultants who installed monitoring wells and have checked the soil to track the movement of gasoline and assess the release of gas fumes.
The agency estimates that between 1,600 to 2,600 gallons have leaked. Schwer says that’s enough to warrant taking out the tanks and excavating contaminated soil.