Why does Key West smell sulfur?
That ubiquitous smell is decaying sargassum, islands of floating, brown sea algae that is piling up along the beaches of Key West, the Florida peninsula, Mexico and other Caribbean islands. Happens every summer when the winds and currents come from the south.
Sargassum is a type of brown seaweed that is washing up on beaches in Florida. As it rots, it gives off a substance called hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide has a very unpleasant odor, like rotten eggs.
Bad smells in the Florida Keys are usually from rotting sargassum seaweed and other organic matter on beaches, in the ocean and on the seafloor.
Natural gas and propane are odorless, but gas companies inject them with a chemical called mercaptan that gives them a sulfur smell—like rotten eggs—to alert residents to a gas leak. A small gas leak could be creating the occasional foul odor you're noticing, so don't take any chances.
Key West isn't renowned for it's beaches but Smathers Beach on the south of the island is definitely worth a visit for anyone seeking some beach time. Things to do in Key West tip: Like most islands around the Carribean and Gulf of Mexico there can be accumulations of sargassum seaweed at Smathers Beach.
Boasting temperate waters and more than 3,400 hours of annual sunshine, the beaches of Key West are some of the most popular destinations on this tropical island paradise. You can enjoy the sun, sand and warm water as well as a variety of activities like swimming, snorkeling and fishing.
Waste water is treated to advanced standards and discharged into a deep injection well located on the plant site. The treatment plant was constructed in 1989; designed and permitted to produce secondary quality effluent at a rate of 10 million gallons per day ( MGD ).
The FKAA treated water is pumped 130 miles from Florida City to Key West, supplying water to the entire Florida Keys. The water provided to customers in the Florida Keys is continuously monitored and tested to ensure the water quality is consistent, safe, and meets all Federal and State drinking water standards.
The barrier reef does it's job of protecting the Florida Keys from large ocean waves. There is no surfing in Key West because there is no surf. Without those big waves hitting the Keys, the mechanism required for creating sand naturally is missing. Most beaches in the Keys are man-made for this reason.
“There have been crocodiles in the Keys for a long time. They're more common in the Upper Keys, but they have been spotted as far south as Big Pine Key and the Dry Tortugas,” said Lindsey Hord, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's crocodile response coordinator.
Why does Florida water smell like eggs?
As much as it rains in Florida, the rainwater seeps through the wild and amble vegetation and leaves, picking up the organic residue naturally. After rain soaks into the aquifer, the organic compounds convert to sulfur. The sulfur is what gives the water its nasty smell compared to rotten eggs.
Smelling hydrogen sulfide does not mean that it will harm your health. The smell can cause worry, anxiety and resentment. Repeated odour events may culminate in real symptoms such as headache, fatigue and nausea. Although these are not direct health effects they are undesirable.
What is hydrogen sulfide? Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless, flammable gas that smells like rotten eggs at low concentration levels in the air. It is commonly known as sewer gas, stink damp, and manure gas. At high concentration levels, it has a sickening sweet odor.
That ubiquitous smell is decaying sargassum, islands of floating, brown sea algae that is piling up along the beaches of Key West, the Florida peninsula, Mexico and other Caribbean islands. Happens every summer when the winds and currents come from the south.
The worst time to visit Key West is August and especially September for a high risk of rain from the annual Caribbean hurricane season. Visitors who favor land activities will find that winter also is a good time to go. Visitors who favor water activities may want to go from late spring to early summer.
The story goes that Cuban settlers brought the chickens to the island, not only as a source of food, but also for sport. While hens were prized for their eggs, the roosters were prized for their co*ckfighting, making for good back-alley entertainment.
The new seven mile bridge is so much better to travel on than back in the late 60's and early 70's bridge! One lane each way. Very scary!
Drinking water for the Florida Keys is supplied by the mainland and pumped 130 miles from Florida City to Key West. In an emergency, the Keys can make their own freshwater at the Stock Island Reverse Osmosis Facility, which was essential in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
The W part of the bay has depths ranging from 7 to 13 feet, and the bottom is covered with loggerhead sponges and turtle grass. A protected area of the Everglades National Park is in the northern part of Florida Bay.
That ubiquitous smell is decaying sargassum, islands of floating, brown sea algae that is piling up along the beaches of Key West, the Florida peninsula, Mexico and other Caribbean islands. Happens every summer when the winds and currents come from the south.
Why does the beach smell like sewage?
Sulfur-Making Algae. The beach's poetic smell comes, in part, from a not-so-poetically-named sulfur compound called dimethyl sulfide, or DMS.
Many of these birds escaped their enclosures or were just released when co*ckfighting became illegal. The feathered animals are now known as Key West Gypsy Chickens. Since Key West is a no-kill island, so it didn't take long for the population of chickens to explode on this two- by four-mile island!
The FKAA treated water is pumped 130 miles from Florida City to Key West, supplying water to the entire Florida Keys. The water provided to customers in the Florida Keys is continuously monitored and tested to ensure the water quality is consistent, safe, and meets all Federal and State drinking water standards.
HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND SULFUR BACTERIA People can smell hydrogen sulfide gas in water at a very low level. It smells like rotten eggs. You can check the smell of water coming out of the hot and cold water faucets.
Saltwater by itself doesn't have any smell, but the things that live in it certainly do. The rather stale, sulphury smell is dimethyl sulphide, produced by bacteria as they digest dead phytoplankton.
It's most likely hydrogen sulfide, which has a pungent sulfur odor. Hydrogen sulfide is found in oil fields and other petroleum operations, and can arise from rotting organic matter including seaweed, algae blooms and dead fish.
