SAN DIEGO, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Emergency response workers in San Diego are trying to pinpoint the cause of a mysterious muck that appears every morning near the Golden Hill Elementary School.

The 14-foot-long patch of moisture has the distinct odor of sewage but no one has been able to determine its origin, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Monday.


"This has been going on since last November or December," says area resident Florence Davich. "The smell is horrendous. Sometimes I have to close my window."

Dye tests of residents' bathroom facilities have failed to pinpoint the cause of the muck, the newspaper said. Neighbors say they are worried that if the seepage contains bacteria it could be hazardous to children walking to and from the school.

The Metropolitan Wastewater Department rechecked the area during the weekend and plans to report its findings, the Union-Tribune said.