(July 31, 2003) -- As promised, LBReport.com has followed-up on the strong natural gas, sulfur type odor reported in the Belmont Shore/southern ELB area between July 26-28 (mainly in the afternoons) that prompted over 50 calls to LBFD during that three day period.

South Coast Air Quality Managament District (AQMD) spokesman Sam Atwood provided LBReport.com with the following information late today:

AQMD sent a field inspector to look into the matter. The odor may have come from off-shore. It does not appear to have been from a business or facility on land. However, there's no definitive conclusion yet.

AQMD checked out an off-shore oil platform and after interviewing several workers it appears the source may be further off-shore...although this isn't conclusive either.

AQMD is contacting the Coast Guard about tankers and ships, etc.

As of this posting, the source is still a mystery...but it's on officialdom's radar screens.

LBReport.com will continue to follow this story. (No wisecracks about our "nose for news," please.) We experienced the stink personally on Sunday July 27 at roughly 2:00 p.m., an overwhelming natural gas type odor in the area of Appian Way just northwest of Marine Stadium -- so strong and alarming that wife Sharon called 911 from our car to report it.

On Monday July 28, we received an email from a reader in the general area of Studebaker just north of Anaheim Rd. (east of CSULB) who reported "an overwhelming unpleasant odor since Saturday [July 26]. It is noticeable at least from Atherton between Palo Verde and Studebaker down to Anaheim and Studebaker...On Saturday it smelled like sewage or rotting garbage, whereas Sunday and Monday it was a very strong sulfur smell...Oddly, the odor is not constant, but is most noticeable in late afternoon; on July 28, it was at its worst around 4:00 p.m...

The reader indicated they'd called the LB Gas Co...and the person answering their emergency line indicated they knew about it...and had been getting calls about it since Saturday. LB Gas. (LB Energy) said they'd investigated and determined they were not the source."

By late Monday night July 28, LBFD confirmed to LBReport.com that this agency alone had received about 55 calls to that time.

Stay with LBReport.com for further developments.