Mystery smell: Not natural gas, says PSE. So what is it?

| Safety | West Seattle news

We’re at that point in trying to solve a mystery where it’s time to go wide – maybe *you* know something?

Last night, Mike tweeted about a strong natural-gas-type odor in a RapidRide bus as they traveled past Harbor Island – enough of a concern, he says, that the bus driver stopped to call it in. We checked the Seattle Fire log from yesterday – as SFD often responds to “natural gas odor” calls – and found 6 of them around the city, no obvious confluence, but two were in SODO.

First thing this morning, we checked with the major local natural-gas utility Puget Sound Energy, whose spokesperson Ray Lane replied, “We investigated the incident, and our team determined it was NOT natural gas. It could be some odor coming from the Port. We understand the odor was being detected again this morning.” Mike confirmed that – under the bridge, this time. We’ve also checked with the port, whose spokesperson Peter McGraw told us, “Our folks have been smelling the same thing around East Marginal and Spokane, and was reported in, but it was not likely from port operations.” We’re not at a total dead end yet, but thought we’d ask you. If you don’t want to comment openly, editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

8:37 PM NOTE: Still a mystery. We also checked with Corey Orvold, spokesperson for SFD, to ask if any of the crews investigating those six calls on Monday found anything. The smell was very real, she said, having been in one area where it was reported – but firefighters’ tests didn’t identify it, either.

Steph March 1, 2016 (11:51 am)

Thank you for looking into this. Driving over the bridge last night at 9:30pm and again at 11:00pm the smell was so strong. It was very disconcerting. Hope someone can figure out what it is.

kumalavula March 1, 2016 (11:55 am)

funny this has come up now because i was coming over the bridge last night around 7pm and had my windows closed but it reeked of natural gas. i noticed it immediately at the crest of the bridge but when i got home i was too busy unpacking the costco haul to send a note asking if anyone else smelled it.

so strange!

Salal March 1, 2016 (12:18 pm)

Winds have been out of the south. My guess is ash grove, nucor or one of the plants on the river. All sorts of scents not natural coming out those plants 24 – 7

sam-c March 1, 2016 (12:21 pm)

We smelled it too last night. It was strong! Coming home around 9:30/ 10

Amy March 1, 2016 (12:44 pm)

Smelled it driving home to South Park on the S99/WS Bridge intersection at 4p yesterday. Very strong. Nothing this morning.

wetone March 1, 2016 (12:56 pm)

2 things in those areas that jump out. First is the large container ship that was just in port . Maybe odor was from ships onboard power supply running or something outgassing off ship. Exhausting from the tall stacks would of dispersed smells away from ship. 2nd thing is all the marijuana operations in area mentioned as there are many.

clinker March 1, 2016 (12:57 pm)

Smelled it this morning at the peak of the high bridge. It’s not like NG or propane odorant, it’s more like the smell of a landfill.

Aren’t there garbage barges sometimes near there? Perhaps that’s the reason.

workdowntown March 1, 2016 (1:03 pm)

Oh man, I thought it was my car! I smelled something last night around Spokane street as I drove home, then again this morning in the same place. I’m a happy camper if it wasn’t my car!

JIm March 1, 2016 (1:12 pm)

The weather history shows no wind last evening and early this morning. Calm conditions, two large ships at Terminal 18 running their generators. One being the new mega ship. Ships gone this morning, smell is gone.

Wseattlite March 1, 2016 (1:23 pm)

Nothing new here. It’s the rendering plant on West Marginal Way (Bio-fuel place) during certain parts of their rendering process. Pretty gross stuff.

Bryan March 1, 2016 (1:24 pm)

I smelled something like natural gas (the odorous additive) on the #125 bus on the way home to WS yesterday, after I boarded downtown. I almost asked other riders what it was. No one else was indicating they smelled it. It dissipated after several minutes and I forgot about it. In case anyone’s wondering, the #125 uses older buses, not the same kind as RapidRide.

R0b0 March 1, 2016 (1:28 pm)

I smelled it at the Sodo home depot yesterday around 4. There were firefighters walking around with sensors by the intersection.

Don Brubeck March 1, 2016 (2:08 pm)

I smelled it this morning at 8 am near T18 on West Seattle Bridge Trail. Thought it was maybe from the line of trucks idling, but it really smelled like natural gas odor.

Dorothy March 1, 2016 (2:14 pm)

So as a general rule I never really believe anything I read on the net or otherwise. However, I saw a post on facebook from another social media site that said there has been a large amount of co2 gas released by one of the faults off the coastline? Then I see this post on the blog. It does say (unconfirmed) but its a thought given all the reports about the smell?

http://robertscribbler.com/2016/02/29/carbon-monoxide-spikes-to-34000-parts-per-billion-over-california-on-february-26-what-the-heck-is-going-on/

Bill Bob March 1, 2016 (2:36 pm)

CO2 does not have an odor. You can read that on the net. Ha ha
- newnative March 1, 2016 (2:37 pm)
  
  I have some eco-minded friends in California that found that story and it’s not corroborated.
Bill Bob March 2, 2016 (8:04 am)

There is a big lesson to be taught here on knowing who your sources are, in terms of accurate information. There is nothing wrong with getting information off of the internet, if you know the difference between a trusted source and a non-trusted source. Blogs, for one, can be dangerous as anyone can say anything and they are not peer reviewed. For science based information, stick to a non-biased source or peer reviewed journals/articles.

SR March 1, 2016 (2:20 pm)

Aren’t there a lot of homeless people camping under the bridge? Maybe it’s that.

Joe Szilagyi March 1, 2016 (2:21 pm)

While we’re talking odors, does anyone else — especially in the evenings or just after dark — smell the strong odor of sewage or sh-t in this spot on a regular basis? I swear at least 20-30% of the time I drive by here, I can smell it, heading up the hill.

This place: https://goo.gl/maps/3cDmBwJ37Av

Anyone else?

JC March 2, 2016 (8:45 am)

You know, I’ve been smelling it close to the Seattle Boeing plant as well. Along East Marginal Way and even walking into work I smell it. Like raw sewage or something. Been smelling this for over a month here.

Shawn March 1, 2016 (2:46 pm)

I smelled it as I left work yesterday around 3:15pm from the Starbucks building in SoDo. Couldn’t smell it as I crossed the bridge though. I thought maybe the construction in the old Sears space was the cause, but there is no way it was strong enough to smell something coming from there up on the high bridge almost a mile away.

Amber March 1, 2016 (2:53 pm)

I smelled it too, just before the onramp to the bridge from SB 99 at about 9:30 pm Monday the 29th. Seemed like a combo of diesel exhaust, a plastic factory, and natural gas odor – and really strong!

Trickycoolj March 1, 2016 (2:54 pm)

I noticed it too. Both at 4:00pm travelling northbound 99 next to the rail yard before the stadiums and at about 9:30-10pm cresting the high bridge. In the afternoon there was a vanagon ahead of me in traffic and chalked it up to a stinky van but on the way home I started wondering if there was something wrong with my less than a year old car! Smelled strongly of natural gas odor.

Waikikigirl March 1, 2016 (4:05 pm)

My boss said he smelled something like NG this morning when he came in from the outside, thought it was from the MC Cop pulling people over on 1st Ave and they’d park right in front of our office (exhaust fumes).

To Joe SZ…I don’t smell anything (sh*t) where you do but I do every time I walk into Macy’s at SouthCenter NE parking lot side!!!!

Darryll March 1, 2016 (8:37 pm)

I smell a pretty strong sewer type odor every time I ride my bike across the bridge. But this is different. Much more of a sulphur smell.

patricia davis March 1, 2016 (9:11 pm)

It is always important to REPORT AIR QUALITY AND ODOR ISSUES to

http://www.pscleanair.org

I smelled this as well (it literally made me physically sick) as I drove along Highway 99 northbound right where it starts to ‘elevate’. That was yesterday, Monday February 29 around 3:25 pm. When I returned – southbound on 99 – the odor was still there and I visually saw huge fork lifts lifting containers onto railroad cars (just W of Occidental and E. of 99/E Marginal area) I reported my concerns to Puget Sound Clean Air (link above) and felt it was coming from that activity. Keep in mind that both Terminal 18 and 46 were in peak operation and that there is massive truck (diesel) and ‘forklift’ activity going on hour after hour.

RcL March 1, 2016 (9:28 pm)

Low tide? https://sfmsi.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/ugh-whats-that-smell/

Tyler March 1, 2016 (10:25 pm)

I’ll venture a guess: the Port spent at least a week dredging the berth at Terminal 18 in advance of the CMA CGM Ben Franklin’s visit. Debate aside on how expensive that must have been for a PR stunt, I imagine the barge holding all the sediment smells pretty bad? (if it’s still around)

LBJ March 2, 2016 (5:39 am)

I seem to remember the one of the last times we had an odor problem it was a ship in port cleaning something out. Has anyone checked on that?

workdowntown March 2, 2016 (8:08 am)

I could still smell it this morning, heading east on Spokane street before the onramp to NB 99. Not as strong, but still there. Smells like something burning to me which is why I thought it was my car.

newnative March 2, 2016 (8:12 am)

I didn’t smell anything on the bridge until this morning and it didn’t resemble any gas odor or mulch smell. It smelled like wood/paper smoke, very briefly.

Z7 March 2, 2016 (9:39 am)

No one’s offered the stock response of “shipment of durian spilled”?

JayDee March 2, 2016 (9:26 pm)

I smelled this smell last year too, starting on the east side of the bridge, wind out of the south. Last week I smelled it until the stadia, but it could have been stuck in the car. I work at landfills, and the sulfidic smell near the west end of the bridge is the old landfill venting. This smells to me like a fermenting “wort” like smell, the kind that would be vented by a brewery or distiller. But to affect multi-square block area? I did a Google Earth search and Westlands Distillery is in the South, 2Bars as well, Glass, Letterprint Distilleries near the stadia.

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