by Neena Strichart
As so many of us have noticed, as of late, our air has been infused with the distinct odor of sulfur. The rotten-egg smell is not due to a local gas leak or red tide but reportedly more likely caused by a zephyr blown our way from the Salton Sea. Located approximately 24 miles south of Indio, the Salton Sea often gives off a rather pungent smell, but according to Sam Atwood, Air Quality Management District’s (AQMD) media-relations manager, we don’t usually get wind of it this far north.
After receiving a press release Tuesday evening from the AQMD that was titled “Salton Sea confirmed as source of widespread sulfur odors,” (see the press release at the end of my column), I gave Sam a call to clarify a few points. He was very generous with his time and explained to me that although the “sea” in question routinely goes through an ecological transformation that causes a very distinct odor, it is the first time in his tenure to have experienced calls as far as 150 miles away reporting the stench. “In my 19 years here, I have never seen this happen,” said Sam during our telephone visit Wednesday afternoon. He attributed the distance the odor is traveling to a series of extreme weather conditions. When I asked him where some of the calls were coming from, he said that the AQMD has had reports as far away as Simi Valley, Victorville, and Big Bear Lake. Now, in my opinion, that’s a stink with wings!
Having never been to the Salton Sea, I wanted to learn more about it in order to share the information with our readers. To the computer I went, and, son-of-a-gun, I found a website for the Salton Sea History Museum and Visitors Center (saltonseamuseum.org). I looked up the phone number and gave it a call, hoping to find someone to chat with. Boy, did I hit the jackpot! Jennie Kelly, founder and director of the center, answered. During our short conversation she informed me that she is a 30-year resident of the Salton Sea area who loves both her community and her center. She encouraged me to invite our readers to come down for a visit and experience the beauty of the area. Now, don’t jump in your car yet! On Jennie’s website she has the following notice posted:
The major floods in the Mecca area on September 10th and 11th have taken out the road to the museum. We will be closed for a short time while the road is repaired. The closure will include September 14-16 but likely will be open again by September 21. Please call us at 760-574-5471 for updated information if you plan on coming to visit.
If you get a chance, turn the negative (stink) into a positive (road trip) and plan to visit the Salton Sea. As my mom would say, you may come out “smellin’ like a rose!” Don’t forget to stop by the museum to learn more about the area and buy a souvenir. Although I quit smoking six years ago, I just gotta have the ashtray sold in their gift shop!
Salton Sea confirmed as source of widespread sulfur odors
Air quality officials have further confirmed the Salton Sea as the likely source of strong sulfur odors smelled by thousands of residents across more than 150 miles of the Southland yesterday.
“We now have solid evidence that clearly points to the Salton Sea as the source of a very large and unusual odor event,” said Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
AQMD technicians took numerous air samples in Riverside and San Bernardino counties yesterday while AQMD field inspectors, trained to gauge the severity of odors, conducted odor surveillance in the Coachella Valley and across the agency’s four-county jurisdiction.
Today’s analysis of the air samples showed a clear progression of hydrogen sulfide levels, with the highest concentrations found at the Salton Sea and decreasing concentrations found as the distance increased from the sea. This progression, or gradient, points to the Salton Sea as the source of the odor, Wallerstein said.
In addition, AQMD inspectors helped pinpoint the Salton Sea as a source of odors by ruling out other potential sources including landfills and oil refineries. AQMD officials also performed air quality modeling showing that strong odors could have traveled across the region given recent weather conditions.
Hydrogen sulfide, a product of organic decay such as that occurring in the Salton Sea, has an unmistakable rotten-egg odor. Scientists have theorized that strong winds pushed surface waters aside and allowed water from the bottom of the shallow sea— rich with decaying and odorous bacteria— to rise to the surface.
While hydrogen sulfide concentrations at the Salton Sea yesterday were higher than normal, they were not high enough to cause irreversible harm to human health, AQMD officials said. This is the case even taking into account that concentrations in the early hours Monday may have been considerably higher than when AQMD technicians sampled for the gas on Monday evening.
Since midnight Sunday (12:10 a.m. Monday) AQMD has received about 235 complaints of sulfur- and rotten-egg type odors. Almost all calls were received by 5:30 p.m. on Monday, with only a dozen or so received overnight and Tuesday morning.
On Sunday evening, a strong thunderstorm developed over the Salton Sea and winds from the southeast of at least 50 mph pushed odors from the Salton Sea to the northwest— across the Coachella Valley, through the Banning Pass and across the Los Angeles Basin, air quality officials said. Since yesterday, an onshore breeze from the west appears to have kept any remaining odors from spreading far into the Los Angeles Basin.
