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The existence in Wisconsin of several federally owned underground diesel storage tanks that date to the Cold War -- and which may be leaking because of their age -- came as a surprise Wednesday to the state agencies charged with regulating such tanks.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is responsible for at least 150 of the 5,000-gallon tanks nationwide, which were installed during the 1960s to hold fuel for electric generators. But according to an Associated Press story Wednesday, FEMA has only recently started to inspect the aging tanks for leaks.

The state Department of Commerce, which is responsible for keeping lists of underground fuel tanks as well as inspecting them for leaks, was not aware of the location of the FEMA tanks, said Tony Hozeny, a spokesman for the agency.

Hozeny said the agency contacted the federal Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday seeking a list of the tanks and their locations.

"We've been on the EPA to get us a list of these tanks," Hozeny said. "When we get the list, we'll go inspect them."

Mark Giesfeldt, director of the state Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Remediation and Redevelopment, also said the agency has not been made aware of the tanks.

"There has been no communication with our agency on any of this," Giesfeldt said. He added that the federal agency would be required to report any leaking tanks to the DNR.

Several Wisconsin cities were listed as sites of the tanks -- Madison, Richland Center, La Crosse, De Pere, Rhinelander, Hayward and Superior. In a news release late Wednesday, FEMA said tanks in these cities are "undergoing review." But no specific information about the location of the tanks or their condition was released.

Officials in the cities on the list were also in the dark. Jude Eliott, acting city administrator for Richland Center, said FEMA has not contacted anyone in the community that he knows of. Though he was unsure of the specific location of a FEMA tank, Eliott said there is an underground fuel tank near a broadcast facility that may be one of the tanks in question. The fuel tanks were mostly used to store fuel for generators that were intended to power radio broadcasts in the event of nuclear attack.

Eliott said the city hired a private company to inspect the tank several years ago. Inspectors found the tank to be empty and the tank was never removed, Eliott added. He said regular tests of the city's drinking water have turned up no evidence of contamination.

Larry Nelson, Madison's chief engineer, said he is unaware of the location of FEMA tanks in Madison and said the federal agency has not contacted the city.

Giesfeldt said the tanks, if they hold 5,000 gallons of fuel, are relatively small. He said a typical gasoline station underground tank holds 10,000 gallons.

Drinking water contaminated by leaking diesel can cause cancer, kidney damage or nervous system disorders.

Nelson said steel tanks as old as the FEMA tanks would most likely have sprung leaks by now.

"If they went in during the Cold War, the chances that they are leaking are really, really good," Nelson said.

Madison, which also tests its drinking water for contaminants, has not seen any evidence of contamination that might be related to the tanks, Nelson said.