A chlorine gas leak reported at Walnutport Borough water department prompted a response from hazmat teams Wednesday morning.

One person was taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons, but local fire officials say the leak posed no threat to the public.

The leak occurred in a storage area at the borough's public works complex, located on Lehigh Street. Around 7 a.m. workers noticed an odor when coming in for the day. An employee confirmed that the tank was leaking, and hazmat crews were called to the scene, according to Mike Wentz, deputy fire chief for Diamond Fire Co.

"It's in its own special building - it's self contained - he opened the door and found it. You can't let it sit in there and keep leaking. That's why the hazmat team was notified," Wentz said.

The employee was subsequently taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital for precautionary reasons.

Haz-mat crews from Diamond Fire Co. and the Lehigh County Special Operations Team donned protective gear to go into the area where the leak occurred. They were able to contain the leak by placing a device on top of the tank.

Wentz said the leak did not pose any threat to the public, nor did it affect water service for residents who get their water from the department.

"The chlorine is no danger to anybody - it's heavy, it stays down to the ground in the general area," he said.

A few borough employees were briefly exposed to the leak, including Wentz. He said the gas had was like an intensified version of the chlorine smell of a swimming pool.

"It wasn't good," he said.

The tank is owned by a contractor and leased by the borough. Crews had to remain on scene until early afternoon when the contractor was set to come and replace the tank.

The damaged tank will be placed in a sealed container and disposed of by the contractor, Wentz said.

"We have 3 water treatment facilities - this is the backup the other two were out of town. Something happened to the tank and they don't know what," he said.

Diamond Fire Co., Lehigh Township Fire Co., Northern Valley Ambulance, Walnutport Police and the Lehigh County Special Operations Unit all responded to the scene.