Bad smell at Salton Sea; Fish die-off on the way?

There’s something in the air at the Salton Sea. This time of year, it typically stinks. And residents are taking notice.

“I’ve been here 25 years — I have not gotten used to it,” said Julie Garbutt, a North Shore resident.

Garbutt lit up incense at her family’s liquor store to deal with the stench.

“It was making me sick — giving me a headache. I had to block it out,” Garbutt said.

Some believe the smell is a sign another fish-kill is on the way.

Dead fish are washing ashore at the Salton Sea. So far, it’s nothing like the typical die-off — when millions of tilapia clog harbors.

“So far the die-off from the fish hasn’t been that bad, this year. Last year, there was a lot of dead fish,” said North Shore resident Teresa Castro.

Die-offs are caused by the heat triggering algae blooms that sap oxygen from the water, create a “green tide”, and send fish floating to the surface.

People living around the Salton Sea watch and wait — and hope for the best.

“We just expect it every year. We are really looking forward to a good year when we don’t have our fish die off,” said North Shore resident Linda Lemus.