Another Odor Alert Issued for Coachella Valley

Coachella Valley residents were warned Monday to expect the smell of rotten eggs, the result of high levels of hydrogen sulfide being emitted by the Salton Sea.

The odor alert issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District is effective until midnight, but will be updated if conditions change.

The gas is the result of “natural processes” occurring in the Salton Sea and could be spread by high winds, according to the AQMD.

State standards suggest hourly average concentrations of hydrogen sulfide outdoors should not exceed 30 parts per billion. Those levels peaked at 46 parts per billion on Sunday night, downwind of the Salton Sea, according to the AQMD.

Levels measured by a second monitor in the nearby town of Mecca did not exceed the state standard.

At 30 parts per billion, some people could experience headaches and nausea. But the symptoms would be temporary and no long-term health effects would be expected, according to AQMD officials.

--City News Service, photo via Wiki Commons