The City of North Myrtle Beach, S.C., is in the final phase of transitioning from a city-maintained fuel supply for police and other public fleet vehicles to fuel cards for fuel purchases at local gas stations, officials announced.

The transition began around a year ago and is now nearing completion, as contracted crews remove four underground fuel tanks near the city’s vehicle maintenance area. The four tanks, which are estimated to have been in the ground for more than 40 years, weigh around 9,000 pounds each and can hold up to 10,000 gallons of fuel.

In addition to its transition to fuel cards, North Myrtle Beach is joining an alliance of large cities, including Charlotte, N.C., to purchase two emergency fuel tanks at a reduced rate for times when natural disasters and other events temporarily knock out power and access to fueling stations. Whatever emergency fuel the city does not use by the end of the year will be returned to the supplier and the city will receive a credit.

After the removal of the underground tanks, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control will determine if soil remediation is needed.