According to Santa Margarita Water District officials, the recent cold weather spell has affected the Upper Oso Reservoir.
During the summer the lake splits into two layers of water. The top layer is warmer during the summer and maintains adequate levels of oxygen, but at the expense of the bottom of lake. The bottom of the lake has cooler water and stays isolated with low levels of oxygen. During autumn, the upper layer of water gets cold, and eventually sinks to the bottom, raising the bottom water.
This year the recent cold spell came with strong winds that mixed the water suddenly creating conditions that caused an algae bloom which used up the oxygen which resulted in odors. The District has responded by adding additional equipment in the lake to help return the oxygen levels to normal. The situation does not pose any health risks and the reservoir should return to normal within the next several days.
For further updates and questions, please check with the Santa Margarita Water District – http://www.smwd.com/algae-bloom-info.htm
Thanks for finally having an update (though, it would have been more useful sooner since this started last Wednesday, or sooner in some areas.)
Can you please STOP watering the common areas until a time when the sulphur smell is no longer coming from the reservoir? It’s seriously exacerbating the problem whene the sprinklers are goign off.
Thank you,
Ryan
Mission Viejo resident (and voter!)
Really…such late notice. The smell has been overwhelming, especially at night when we are trying to go to sleep. Try going to sleep while breathing in the scent of rotten eggs.
Dear City of Mission Viejo,
Please hear our many voices on this matter. ALthough you’ve only recently posted this information, you can see all the concerns and confusion it has caused (and continues to cause) your residents at this webpage:
http://finkythekid.blogspot.com/2009/10/smell-that-ensnared-mission-viejo.html
It’s more than an inconvenience. People are feeling ill effects from this. Peopel want to know and demand it cease as quickly as possible. Even more so, we need to make sure that proper steps are taken to keep this from occurring again.
We just want some targeted reassurance from our elected and paid officials.
Thank you again,
Ryan
I can’t stand this smell any longer I am pregnant and this is causing me to have constant headaches this has to be harmful to us all to be smelling this in our homes for over a week now! Why is no one doing anything about this? My husband and i both can not sleep at nights and I am terribly worried about what this can do to our baby. I hope they can resolve this situation fast. Thank you
Please resolve this issue as soon as possible. This has been a horrible experience. The smell in the air cannot be healthy to breath. I’m disappointed with the lack of action from the water district. Shame on you.
What is SMWD doing to fix this problem, and when will the smell be completely eliminated??
Multiple residents have called SMWD and each has gotten a different, vague answer as to the steps are being taken. Something needs to be done!
This is abominable! I live in Pinecrest. The residents here are demanding answers. THIS CAN’T BE HEALTHY AND IT ISN’T OK ANYMORE! We will be contacting the media to help put a fire under the proper people’s you know whats. We have also contacted the EPA, the National Response Center, and CalEMA. Since my calls to those agencies, the following agencies have taken the initiative to CALL ME: California State Department of Public Health and SMWD. The person I spoke with at SMWD was very forthcoming with information, but the disconcerting thing is that he said they can’t identify the gas being emitted that is causing the stench. Typically it would be Hydrogen Sulfide, a VERY HIGHLY TOXIC GAS. SMWD’s Hydrogen Sulfide meters aren’t registering that any of that gas is present. How can that be? This odor is characteristic of that gas during an algae bloom. We want answers and WE WANT THEM NOW! And if the SMWD has to pay for residents to sleep elsewhere during the putrid evening when the air is laden with this, then they should be doing that to protect us! Where is our protection????
The CDC considers hydrogen sulfide to be really toxic – http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/Mhmi/mmg114.html. If you can smell the gas, then it’s there because humans are highly sensitive to it, no matter what the water company meters say. SMWD really needs to get this fixed NOW. The stench is overpowering, nauseating and irritating to our eyes and lungs. For people with respiratory problems, this could be very serious.
We called the gas company regarding the smell and three workers came out for a couple of hours checking our house and the houses next to ours.
We were worried that the smell can be harmful to our two month old child.
I can not believe the gas company did not know. Who is running our city?
We need a change! they should have let everyone know what was causing the smell. UNACCEPTABLE!!!
Hi i also reside in pinecrest and the smell has really affected me lately. It cant be healthy breathing in the odors. I have felt sick and nausea lately due to the constant smell of the algae. Are you sure there are no health hazards? thanks!
When I first started smelling this awful odor I thought it was a natural gas leak. I called the gas company and was told that they had similar complaints. I was told only that it was not gas but some sort of sewage problem. I have headaches every evening even before the smell gets to its strongest (usually around 6pm). Something needs to be done. I don’t believe that this is not a health risk and I want some answers as to when this will be fixed!!!
Nice reply Dave, wonder if you work for the SMWD????
When is this going to be fixed? My daughter has serious asthma problems and is having a horrible reaction. I couldn’t figure out why she started to have a flare up about 4 days ago and didn’t put two and two together until recently!!! Who is going to pay for her hospital stay due to this issue!!!! This needs to be fixed ASAP!!!!
To all=
I sent this story to KTLA after they reported this on the 10:00 news yesterday. This is definitely a sewer leak and someone needs to take action. Please see below……..
Regarding the story that aired on the smell in Mission Viejo, what Rancho Santa Margarita Water District said about the Lake and the air getting colder is totally ridiculous. I live in Mission Viejo as well and have been putting up with this smell for over 9 days now. If this was true about the air than why don’t the other lake that are less than 2 to 3 miles away have the same problem. It just so happens that they are doing construction on the sewer lines underground in the same area around here. I believe somone is covering something up and that water is contaminated. The worse thing about it is they keep watering everything around here with that water and if they claim there is no health risk (which of course they are going to do) why are all the fish dead and why is every one sick, i.e.. runny noses, sore throats, headaches, respitory problems and vomiting. Also, my indoor cats have stopped eating. I have also lost my appetite like all the other people. I have taken a water sample from the sprinklers and have contacted Erin Brokavitch but have not gotten a response. Please contact me for more information. Go to the website http://finkythekid.blogspot.com/
for more information. Thank you for reporting this story.
The odor eminating from Oso Reservoir is intolerable and should never have occured. With proper management in recent months, this problem could have been avoided. For the sake of our property values in this area, we don’t need to get a reputation that we live near a stinky reservoir! Right now, Norco smells better than Mission Viejo and RSM! In 10 years we’ve lived here, this has never occurred and the weather isn’t that drastically different vs. past years. Are you sure cuts in maintenance budgets aren’t to blame (despite recent salary increases to the SMWD top brass)? This is a disgusting situation that requires extraordinary measures to stop the stink NOW — chemical treatments or whatever — not just letting nature run its course! The water district allowed the Oso Reservoir to become a giant stopped-up toilet. They should be ashamed and we’ll remember this when SMWD boardmember elections come up again!
FIX THIS STINKING SITUATION NOW!
There are 4 other medium to large lakes in this area — Irvine Lake, RSM Lake, Lake Forest and Lake Mission Viejo. Interesting question: If it’s the “unusual” weather temperatures and winds that caused this like SWMD has said, why don’t those other lakes smell like sewers too? Maybe it’s because the operators of those other lakes know how to take manage the water and take preventive measures all year long to avoid this “natural” occurance, unlike SMWD? Maybe it’s because SMWD would rather spend its money on high-level salary increases at the expense of proper maintenance? Just maybe it’s mismanagement and very poor engineering that otherwise could have prevented this? What do the big-wigs at SWMD care, they probably don’t live in this neighborhood. Remember, SWMD is run by an elected board… Remember this stinking episode next election day!!!
There are 4 other medium to large lakes in this area — Irvine Lake, RSM Lake, Lake Forest and Lake Mission Viejo. Interesting question: If it’s the “unusual” weather temperatures and winds that caused this like SWMD has said, why don’t those other lakes smell like sewers too? Maybe it’s because the operators of those other lakes know how to manage the water and take preventive measures all year long to avoid this “natural” occurance, unlike SMWD? Maybe it’s because SMWD would rather spend its money on high-level salary increases at the expense of proper maintenance? Just maybe it’s mismanagement and very poor engineering that otherwise could have prevented this? What do the big-wigs at SWMD care, they probably don’t live in this neighborhood. Remember, SWMD is run by an elected board… Remember this stinking episode next election day!!!
It’s November 9th and Mission Viejo still stinks like a sewer hole!!!
Pinecrest has had ENOUGH! After many individual efforts to get answers and put pressure on SMWD, we have decided to move on City Hall as a group.
We have all been told by various members of agencies that “they are working on getting it fixed,” but the stench has grown exponentially the past 2 nights. Perhaps their efforts are misguided and/or misdirected? No matter, WE ARE SUFFERING.
Our hope is to assemble the largest group possible on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12th at 4pm, to let City Council and the Mayor of MV know just how angry and frustrated we all are. Pressure directly from the contracting city just might get SMWD’s attention.
Please join us — large numbers get attention!
I live in Ventana next to Pinecrest and agree with everyones comments here.
I spoke to the water district and the city this morning and was told that HOA management companies were contacted and asked to turn off their water for a few days to help with the odor. The city turned off their water for the slopes for 3 days.
Pinecrest, Ventana and Saddleback homes we need to unite and call the management company for our HOA as they are still watering and we are suffering. I left a message at the management company for Pinecrest (949) 455-2788 and encourage all homeowners to demand the water for the slopes be turned off for a few days. The HOA meeting is tonight at 7 PM.
in Aliso Viejo.
I live in Ventana. Please unite with me and call the HOA management company to turn off the water for the slopes. Their phone number is 455-2788.
Neighbors are calling the management company and are pretty much being blown off and told it will be discussed tonight at the association meeting with the board of directors.
I called back the city and gave them the name of our association. I called the landscape company, while I was asking her about the water she asked me to hold on and advised that they just received direction from the city to turn off the water for our slopes through Sunday and that they would be calling the management company.
We need to hold our management company accountable also, it was a no brainer to turn off the water temporarily.
For those of you in Pinecrest I would love to get together with you!
I just got off the phone with Dan Ferons of SMWD. He has met with three of our Pinecrest Association Board Members and wanted to share with me what he shared with them.
SMWD installed 2 more aeration pumps and a special pump which moves the freshly aerated water to other areas of the lake. Today they are expecting a shipment of 10,000 pounds of Sodium Percarbonate and a special boat to disperse it into the reservoir. Tomorrow they will receive a second shipment of this substance weighing 14,000 lbs. Sodium Percarbonate turns the sulfides into sulfates – the outcome they need to have happen to squelch this stench.
So join us today at City Hall! We all filled out complaint forms with AQMD last night.