Strange Odor Plagues Some Sommer’s Bend Homes In Temecula

TEMECULA, CA — For over two years, a group of Temecula homeowners has dealt with “sulfur-like” odors wafting from the drains of their Sommer’s Bend homes. The issue has residents, builders and the water district attempting to determine what is to blame.

The Sommer’s Bend community of homes, situated east of Butterfield Stage Road and south of Sommer’s Bend Boulevard, is one of Temecula’s newest developments. The community offers views of the San Jacinto mountains and rolling hills of the unspoiled wilderness, along with parks, trails, and the new Sports Ranch at Sommer’s Bend sports park. Homes sell for an average of $650,000 to $800,000 across multiple neighborhoods constructed by Woodside Homes and Richmond American Homes.

But for at least 21 property owners, the strange smells from sinks and drains at their Sommer’s Bend homes have become a lingering headache.

Residents like Dan Eshleman have dealt with the smelly drain issue in his home since he moved in back in mid-2021. He learned others were experiencing similar issues on the Sommer’s Bend private Facebook group and told Patch he was glad he wasn’t alone.

“There was a faint smell coming from the master bathroom drain, but we didn’t talk to anyone about it. After a year, it’s gotten worse,” Eschelman said. Assuming Woodside Homes wouldn’t do anything for his family after the one-year home warranty was up, they’ve tried to manage the issue themselves. Now, he can reopen his repair ticket, according to the meeting with Woodside representatives who are paying attention to the issue.

On Wednesday, the builder held a Town Hall meeting to determine how many homeowners are actively dealing with the “smell.”

During the meeting, Woodside Homes said it had inspected 18 homes as part of the testing process since they received the original complaint in October 2021.

Woodside Homes residents in the Everview and Canopy neighborhoods and Richmond American homes in the Arborly community have also experienced a “rotten smell” emanating from kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room drains.

Woodside’s Division President Chris Chambers addressed residents with a letter obtained by Patch in late November, suggesting the water company was to blame. Chambers wrote that “experts have determined that plumbing and sewer lines (both inside and outside the homes)” are not the cause for the odor.

“The expert’s conclusion is that the source of the odor is water from the public water supply,” Chambers wrote. He also suggested adding “point-of-entry water filtration and softening systems” to alleviate the issue and notify the company if the odors persist.

The letter prompted multiple homeowners to reach out to Eastern Municipal Water District for water quality tests. EMWD and Metropolitan Water District, the drinking water supplier, disagree that the odor is from the water.

“Per our standard protocol, EMWD collected water quality samples from the community and tested them in our state-certified laboratory,” EMWD spokesperson Kevin Pearson shared with Patch in an email. Though EMWD was awaiting the final results of its tests as of Friday, their results thus far indicate that this is not a water quality issue, he said.

In his letter, Chambers told Woodside homeowners that the smell “may also be from water trapped in less-used drains.” He suggested residents run water through all sinks weekly as a potential fix.

That wasn’t enough for residents who grew sick of smelling the foul odor in their homes, like Eddie Sierra. He was the first to ask his neighbors about the “smelly odor” problem on Facebook in September.

Since then, over 40 homeowners and prospective home buyers have discussed the topic on Facebook, sharing photos of drain backups and videos of plumbers snaking clogged lines or checking “back flappers” in the garage floors.

Another resident, who moved into the Everview community in January 2021, said her family noticed both a blockage in pipes, sending brown water into the master bathroom shower, as well as the odor others mentioned. The pipe was fixed, but the smell persisted, she said.

She detailed how Woodside Homes brought in a subcontractor, Forensic Analytical Consulting Services, to review her problem and prepare a report.

“They used cameras outside on the road from a truck,” she said. “They used a gas/smell detector inside the house in the kitchen and bathrooms.” With no insight into the issue months later, she said the situation was “very unfortunate.”

A FACS spokesperson told Patch that they collected water samples and analyzed them for “particulates.” FACS delivered that report to developers in August. It shares the “issues and what if any corrective action needs to be taken,” they said, though FACS declined to share the report with Patch, as it revolves around what they referred to as a “legal matter.’” FACS also declined to comment on the nature of the legal issue, and Patch’s formal request for the report from Woodside Homes was left answered.

One homeowner wrote that they’ve “had the builder plumber out and he said (the smell) was normal."

Other prospective Sommer’s Bend homeowners have decided the bad smell was enough to drop out of purchasing their homes.

“We decided not to go through with buying our Acacia home,” one Facebook commenter wrote. “We asked if the builder would put a contingency in our contract but was told no since they're not taking any responsibility for this smell. Are we buying the house from the Water Department or from Woodside. Buyer Beware!!! Good Luck!”

Another homeowner said a plumber's smoke test might have sorted out their issue.

The smoke test, a method where non-toxic smoke is pumped into connected pipes to locate leaks and cracks, found “a misc exhaust pipe in the attic that failed to exhaust outside the house, she wrote. “It’s been pumping those gases right back into our home. No wonder we smelled it in our laundry room and master bedroom/bathroom.”

Woodside homeowners with closed trouble tickets regarding the odors should reopen them, according to Jackson.

“Woodside has shared that anyone experiencing the issue should put in a ticket no matter how long you’ve lived here if you are still experiencing the issue,” Jackson said.

The builder has said they will hold a follow-up meeting to provide an update in approximately six weeks.

As for Eshleman, he's just glad they are not alone in battling the issue, he said.

“Honestly, I kind of thought we were the only ones,” Eshleman said. “It’s embarrassing and I thought maybe it was something we were doing wrong. But now that I’ve seen so many others having the same issue, it’s given me more motivation to resolve it.”

Patch has requested comment from Woodside Homes and Richmond American Homes and will update this report with their response as soon as it is received.