A strong sulphuric odor first noticed throughout Riverside County on Sunday night hung in the air today, but authorities were at a loss to explain it.
"It's not something originating here in the city,'' Riverside Public
Utilities Chief Deputy Director Steve Badgett told City News Service. "It hit
me when I went out to get my paper this morning 45 miles away.''
The rotten-egg odor wafted into Riverside around 10 p.m. Sunday and was
reported in Murrieta, Indio, Calimesa and other locations, as well.
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Officials at the Eastern Municipal Water District, which services customers from Moreno Valley to Temecula, said the stench was not connected to
any of the district's operations. The EMWD directed further inquiries to the
South Coast Air Quality Management District, but calls to the agency were not
immediately returned.
Badgett said there were indications the source of the smell might be the
Salton Sea, but there was no confirmation.
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"We had that storm system dragging everything up from the desert
yesterday, so who knows?'' he said. "The weather pattern is high humidity and
no air movement above us.''
