SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The city of Santa Fe is now using drinking water to keep some of its parks, golf courses and ball fields green. This comes after the city shut off its sprinkler systems that used recycled water because it was contaminated.

“I try to play twice a week and practice once a week,” said golfer Harvey Green.

Green is working on his short game. He’s one of a handful of people out at the city-owned Marty Sanchez Links Golf Course, which isn’t looking too green these days. That’s because the water to irrigate the course was cut off Sunday morning.

“Last week we experienced a cut off to our irrigation supply, our wastewater treatment plant experienced an upset,” said Marty Sanchez Golf superintendent Pat Brockwell.

Brockwell said the city’s wastewater treatment center, which filters water to irrigate public parks and golf courses, had high amounts of ‘biologic composition’ including E. coli.

“So we’re not allowed to put that water and bacteria in public spaces so we’ve been limping along since then,” said Brockwell.

Other places like the city’s municipal recreational complex and the Santa Fe Country Club were also cut off from that same wastewater, and instead, they’re using potable drinking water to help irrigate those lawns.

The city is still working to fix the wastewater treatment plant and doesn’t know where the contamination came from. In the meantime, for golfers like Green, they’re trying to look on the bright side.

“The fact that they’re leaving the putting green and the driving range open is actually a great thing because it’s a great time to practice and I need it,” said Green laughing.

The city had to request special funding, up to $120,000 to cover the cost of using the potable drinking water for those recreation sites.