How did an Irving station leak so much gas before anyone noticed? [Video]

How did a gas station leak tens of thousands of litres of gas into the ground without being immediately detected? 

That question is top of mind for some as cleanup efforts continue at the Murray’s Irving and Irving I-24 truck stop on the outskirts of Woodstock.

Since mid-December, vacuum trucks have been working around the clock at the Beardsley Road site to clean up what could total more than 100,000 litres of diesel fuel from a cracked pipe leading to an underground storage tank. 

But how such a large amount of fuel was able to leak into the environment without being immediately detected is unclear.

According to documents obtained by CBC News through a right-to-information request, the leak wasn’t noticed until contaminants were detected in the well water of a Tim Hortons restaurant across the parking lot.

WATCH | How did Irving station lose 100,000 litres of diesel in a leak and not know?: For three months, crews have worked to clean up what could be more than …