Irrigation system water smells bad.
 

I live in Buttonwood & I lately I've noticed that the irrigation water smells awful. A very strong odor when the system is running. I know its reclaimed water. But, is there a problem with the treatment plant? If something smelly is coming out of the irrigation system, does it stay on the lawn? Do I track it into the house? Has anyone else had this problem?

Norm

The smells varies day-to-day here in Lynnhaven. I try to stay off the lawn while it is wet with the irrigation water and walk my dog somewhere else during those times when it is still wet.

Does not seem to stain the carpet the times that I have had to go out and do something on the lawn when it is wet like push the sprinkler heads which seem to stay up more after running the older these heads get.

Irrigation System
 

I had an opportunity to take a tour of the reclaimed water plant on Buena Vista about 2 years ago. It was truly impressive and at least on that day didn't detect much of a odor. Once the water is reprocessed the sludge remaining is packaged and sold for fertilizer. The gentleman giving the tour claimed that the reprocessed water tested as pure as drinking water. I am not a chemist so felt not in a position to challenge that assertion. However, the filter systems in spa and pools do a good job of recycling water and given the sophication of this plant seem plausible.

I never had detected an odor from my system. And if your a golfer chances are you have walked on the fairway just after it had been watered. In fact some like me may have gotten soak from an unsuspecting irrigation head.

I park my truck in the driveway, and notice after sprinklers have been running the windshield has little stains all over it, appears like oily deposit, very hard to clean. Also notice how black some of the curbs are.

I too toured the sanitation plant. They said that the water that comes from it is only used on the golf courses. The water used for residential irrigation is a combination of well water plus the water that is in the various retention ponds. Since the source of the water in the retention ponds is rain runoff, it is subject to fertilizer and animal feces.