Sep. 7--East County

ODOR REMAINS MYSTERY: Contra Costa Health Services on Saturday tried with no avail to pinpoint the source of a foul odor that made its way across East County cities.

Local agencies started receiving calls at 6 a.m. from residents in Pittsburg, Antioch and Brentwood complaining of a natural gas smell, said hazmat specialist Charles Nicholson of Health Services' Department of Hazardous Materials. By late morning, the wind picked up and the odor began to dissipate.

Numerous agencies, including Pacific Gas & Electric, Dow Chemical and Delta Diablo Sanitation District were investigated as possible sources of the leak, but none could be identified as the originator, Nicholson said.

In a separate incident, a gas station on Empire Avenue in Brentwood experienced a small propane leak that caused a gas smell in surrounding neighborhoods.

-- Malaika Fraley

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