Reports of an unpleasant odor near the Route 26 industrial park this week have led to a visit from the State Department of Environmental Resources and a one-man crusade against the smell by a College Township official.

The DER visited College Township earlier this week to investigate reports of odors around the Ruetgers-Nease Chemical Company Inc. plant, a company employee said.

Steven Foard, Ruetgers-Nease's manager of environmental resources, said that the DER inspected the area even though he is unaware of any strange scents near the plant.

"They found no signs of any odor on the premises," he said.

"We manufacture and handle a lot of different materials," Foard said. "We aren't aware of any problems within our own facility."

Dan Spadoni, a spokesman from the Williamsport Environmental Protection Office, said a representative from the office's field staff went to Ruetgers-Nease on Monday for an initial investigation.

"They didn't find any evidence of a problem, but if there are any complaints in the future, the department will go back and investigate," Spadoni said.

No evidence indicates Ruetgers-Nease is responsible for the odor, he added.

In a separate incident, State College Bureau of Police Services officers, responding to a complaint of chlorine gas, drove to the scene yesterday, but were told by Ruetgers-Nease that no chlorine was being used.

William Weaver, a College Township zoning officer, said he notices the odor when he drives on Route 26 between Abramsons' Auto Wrecking and the end of the Nittany Mall.

"I have been leading the campaign against the smell," he said, adding that his job also includes acting as an enforcement officer. He said the odor would fall into the category of a nuisance.

Weaver said nearly a dozen companies in the Route 26 industrial park might be responsible for the smell, and he had assumed it could be Ruetgers-Nease.

"I just don't know at this time who it is," he said.

Weaver, who said the odor must be caused by "some sort of chemical I can't really describe," added that a resident from Penn Hills called him on Friday to complain about the odor.

He stated he is going to use "deductive reasoning" to determine who is responsible for the odor.

"When I figure it out, I'm going to get the DER people back out here to check it out," Weaver said. He added that he will contact the Federal Environmental Protection Agency if he gets additional information regarding the mysterious scent.

Foard said Ruetgers-Nease will continue to monitor and check for the odor, and will respond to each complaint individually.