300 Gallons Of Pond Sludge Spilled In Coachella

A spill of an unknown substance was first reported around noon on Tuesday in the 83000 block of 53rd Avenue near Calhoun Street in Coachella.

Authorities were dispatched to the area about 10:50 a.m. on a report that about 300 gallons of a substance had spilled, Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Cheri Patterson said.

Investigators from the fire department’s hazardous materials team and county environmental health department were working to determine what the substance was and where it came from, she said.

By afternoon, authorities had determined the spill was pond sludge, and the incident was referred to code enforcement.