Green water: Cities dye rivers, fountains for St. Patrick's Day

For St. Patrick's Day, some cites in the USA get festive by dyeing local bodies of water green. USA TODAY Network takes a look at how different places celebrate the luck of the Irish.

Indianapolis

For the 19th year, Indianapolis dyed a portion of its downtown canal green Monday.

Each year the city pours 10 gallons of concentrated liquid dye into the water, according to John Bartholomew a spokesman for the city department that oversees the canal. The dye turns the whole canal green and lasts about 2 to 4 days depending on whether it rains and dilutes the water, he said.

"It doesn't hurt the fish. All the dyes we use are environmentally friendly," according to Bartholomew. However, he said he did not know the exact brand used.

Chicago

City officials dyed a portion of the Chicago River green Saturday. The tradition dates back to 1962 when mayor Richard J. Daley and the chairman of the parade Stephen Bailey first did it. Bailey got the idea after realizing the dye used to detect leaks from plumbing into the river was a perfect shade of "Irish green," according to the Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade committee.

Nowadays, the city turns the river green by dumping roughly 40 pounds of a secret formula powder into the river, Tom Rowan, the head of the river crew told The Chicago Tribune. Boats help churn the water, which mixes the environmentally-friendly powder, into the river turning it a maximum green in about 45 minutes, Rowan said.

The tradition is highly celebrated, but not everyone loves it.

"It started as a celebration of Chicago and it's Irish heritage but perhaps it's time to start considering new ideas," Margaret Frisbie, the executive director of the environmental group Friends of the Chicago River told USA TODAY Network.

Photos: Green rivers pay homage to St. Pat's

In the past, the group said they weren't opposed to the practice because there were larger problems facing the river, but as the health of the river has improved the group's position has changed, she said.

"The Chicago River is much healthier and more accessible than it has been since the 1850s and it's continuing to improve every single year," Frisbie said. There are beavers, muskrats, turtles, fish and birds living in and near the river, according to Frisbie.

Dyeing the river green may not injure the animals and the surrounding environment, but it sends the wrong message to the public that the river isn't full of wildlife that depend on it, she said.

Washington, D.C.

It may not be a river or a canal, but the White House gets in the fun by dyeing the water in the fountain on the south lawn green on St. Patrick's Day.

The tradition started in 2009, when first lady Michelle Obama, a native of Chicago, decided to bring a version of her city's tradition to the nation's capital.

Savannah, Ga.

Savannah tried to dye its river green in 1961, but gave up after it had less than thrilling results.

"They tried it and it all filtered away in the tide," Saja Aures, a spokeswoman for the city told USA TODAY Network. "The tide moves too quickly and it dissipates," she said.

Instead, the city dyes several of its fountains green, including the Forsyth Fountain, which many consider the "crown jewel" of the city, Aures said. "It's a very beautiful, very ornate fountain. It tends to be quite a spectacle when it gets dyed green," she said.

The product used is called PYLA-Cert Verdant Green MX-135 from the Pylam Product Co., according to Bret Bell, the city's director of media relations.

"It's a dye that is gentle and can be easily cleaned and doesn't damage our historic fountains," he said. They use 35 pounds of it to fill nine fountains and the fountains are refreshed each day with dye, he said. The fountains stay green for several days and are then cleaned, he said.

Tampa

Tampa celebrated St. Patrick's Day on Saturday by dyeing a portion of the Hillsborough River green for the fourth consecutive year.

Tampa uses 250 pounds of an orange powder called "Bright Dyes," Ali Glisson, a spokeswoman for the city told USA TODAY Network. "We use it to trace leaks, but it's also been used in large scale search and rescue missions," she said.

The substance can be used to signal distress in water emergencies because it turns the water a florescent color, she said. Bright Dyes is non-toxic and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to the company's website.

Similar to Chicago, the environmentally safe powder turns bright green when mixed with the water, according to Glisson. Tampa tries to keep the water green for at least five hours, but sometimes the tide can impact how long it lasts, she said.

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