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Dead palm trees stand at a former yacht club on the shore of the Salton Sea, the biggest lake in California, which has dried up and refilled numerous times, on July 7, 2011 in Salton City, California. (David McNew/Getty Images)
The drying of Southern California’s Salton Sea might be the source of a foul smell that is spreading across the region, it was reported Tuesday.
Over the past day, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said that around 200 people complained about a foul odor in an area spanning 10,000 square miles, reported the Los Angeles Times.
Officials said that it could be related to a fish die-off due to the drying of the Salton Sea, which is located mostly in California’s Imperial Valley.
“We really don’t know whether it’s the Salton Sea or not,” Andy Schlange, general manager of the Salton Sea Authority told the Times. “The best answer I can give you is that we’re looking into it.”
People from Ventura County to Palm Springs complained, the report said.
Barry Wallerstein, head of the air quality agency, told KPCC radio, “There is not yet any definitive evidence to pinpoint the Salton Sea or any other source.”
“It is highly unusual for odors to remain strong up to 150 miles from their source,” he added.
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