AUSTIN, Texas — St. Patrick’s day might be a month away, but Austin’s downtown waterway isn’t going green to celebrate.
Austinites might’ve noticed a striking green hue to Lady Bird Lake over the past few days, but according to the city’s Watershed Protection Department, it’s not a cause for alarm.
The green coloring is actually a dye used to find leaks in plumbing fixtures, according to the department. A representative said the dye might be seen in the water for several days, but it does not pose any type of health threat.
Water tracing dyes are often bright green to increase the visibility of the flow of water. They can help with determining how long it takes water to flow from point A to point B, to detect water overflow or leakage, and to check for any harmful pollutants making their way to a natural water source.
In September 2024, residents in Sydney, Australia, noticed a green dye in the Sydney Harbor. Officials believed it to be fluorescein dye, which is a common type used by plumbers to find leaks and damage. Earlier last year, a similar instance was reported in an English canal in Birmingham.
Some cities will dye water just for fun, like in Chicago where the Chicago River turns green each year during a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. During this annual event, a vegetable-based dye is poured in the water and typically lasts for several hours.
Other U.S. cities participate in a similar tradition, including in Savannah, Georgia, where a fountain is dyed green, and in Tampa, Florida, where the Hillsborough River is tinted.
In Texas, the San Antonio River also turns green every St. Patrick’s Day.