Water Smells Like Rotten Eggs in Pembroke Pines

Three-step check at home

1. Run cold water at the kitchen sink into a glass, step away from the drain and smell it.
2. Do the same with hot water.
3. Try a second bathroom.

Only hot smells: water heater. Both smell everywhere: water source. Only one sink: likely the drain, not the water.

City water and the water heater

Pembroke Pines city water comes from Biscayne Aquifer wells and is softened, filtered and disinfected with chloramine at the city's plant, so it is not usually a sulfur source. Tank water heaters, though, contain a sacrificial anode rod (often magnesium). In warm, still water it can react and produce hydrogen sulfide. It shows up most after the heater sits unused, such as when a family returns from a long trip.

• Flushing the tank often helps.
• Swapping the anode for a different type is a common long-term fix.
• An old heater may simply need replacing.

A whole-home filter sits before the heater, so it will not fix an anode smell.

Wells and hydrogen sulfide

Untreated groundwater in South Florida can carry dissolved hydrogen sulfide. In Pembroke Pines this mostly shows up in irrigation wells, where sprinklers give off a sulfur odor, and in any home with a private drinking well. Treatment is designed from the well's test:

• Aeration to release the gas.
• Oxidation followed by filtration.
• Carbon for light odor.

See aeration vs. filtration for sulfur smells.

Do not confuse it with the spring chlorine smell

The city runs a chlorination preventive maintenance procedure each year; in 2026 it ran from March 22 to April 12. During that time the city said you might notice a slight chlorine taste or smell. That is a bleach-like odor, not rotten eggs, and it fades when the procedure ends.

Treatment choices for wells

For an irrigation well, the goal is usually to stop odor near patios and pool areas and to protect walls from staining, since iron often comes along with sulfur. For a drinking well, the system has to be designed around the full test, including bacteria and nitrate from a certified lab. Light odor may respond to carbon; stronger odor usually needs aeration or oxidation before filtration. See well water treatment in Pembroke Pines.

What Jorge tests

• Hot and cold water separately.
• Hydrogen sulfide and iron on well water.
• pH and hardness, which affect treatment choices.

For drinking wells, the Florida Department of Health recommends a yearly certified lab test for bacteria and nitrate.

Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist