A 'ROTTEN egg' odour that wafted across Newcastle had locals holding their noses.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has confirmed it was made aware of the stinky situation on Thursday, after a community complaint about 'rotten egg gas type odours' around Newcastle.
"We suspect the odours are from decaying vegetation and stagnant water in wetlands and low-lying areas following rainfall," an EPA spokesman told the Newcastle Herald.
"The heavy fog this morning trapped the odours closer to the ground."
The spokesman said EPA officers had tested the dissolved oxygen levels of the Hunter River from Hexham to Raymond Terrace.
"There are no indications of fish deaths or a blackwater event, but we will continue to monitor the situation in the river," he said.
A blackwater event is when a naturally occurring gas emanates from stagnant water in low-lying wetlands, often after heavy rain.
Hunter Water confirmed that the unpleasant odour was not caused by any of its operations.
The smell had been reported in Wallsend, Adamstown and Waratah, and the EPA completed an onsite inspection on Thursday.
