All Your Questions Answered About Chicago’s Bright Green River
It’s a St. Patrick’s Day tradition, but nobody expected it during a pandemic
It was one of the first things that surprised me when I first moved here from Kansas. Throngs of people came out to watch the Chicago River get dyed the brightest green you’ve ever seen. This is not a subtle shade of green. This is a stunning, bright, cheerful color.
But nobody expected it this year. City officials stayed quiet and most journalists had reported since there would be no parade, there would be no river dyeing either. But, the city had a little surprise up its sleeve yesterday morning when the river was dyed its bright shade of green for St. Patrick’s Day.
Why a green river you may ask? Well, St. Patrick’s Day is a big deal in the city of Chicago. Parades, green beer, soda bread, corned beef and cabbage, packed bars, and a green river are all part of the celebration that usually goes on for several weekends. But this year, amid a pandemic, things are different.
And yet, we have our green river once again. Officials stayed very quiet about their dyeing plans to avoid the usual crowds of people that gather to watch the event.
We’re still in a pandemic and we’ve got a long way to go before we reach herd immunity with vaccinations. But the Chicago River is green, and that’s something, right?
When did this crazy green tradition begin?
The St. Patrick’s Day tradition began in 1962 when the representatives of the Journeyman Plumbers Local Union 130 poured 100 pounds of dye into the river the morning of the city parade. That was a lot of dye. The color lasted at least a week or more.
Its origins go back even further, to the time when the Mayor of Chicago, Richard J. Daley, attempted to clean up the sewage-filled water. He authorized a green dye to be put in the water to help spot where the sewage dumpings were occurring.
As the story goes, Stephen Bailey, of the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local Union, was inspired by the green streaks in the river and a colleague’s green-dyed coveralls. He had the idea to turn the whole thing green for St. Patrick’s Day. And the rest is history.
What’s in the dye?
These days it is a vegetable-based eco-friendly substance that wears off fairly quickly and does no harm. That wasn’t always true. In the beginning, the city used oil-based fluorescein. It stayed green much longer those days than the vegetable-based variety today.
Environmentalists lobbied to get a less harmful substance, and in 1966, the city began using the powdered vegetable-based dye that they still use today.
As for what exactly is in the dye, we don’t know. It’s top secret. It’s an orange powder that turns green when it reacts to the water. Unlike the days of the oil-based fluorescein, the powder only lasts about as long as the weekend when the river starts fading back to its usual murky appearance.
Although I can attest, on Monday morning as I would head back into work and pass by the river, I discovered it remained an unnatural color for at least a few days.
How does the process work?
A large boat heads out, and three members of the Plumbers Union use flour sifters to evenly distribute the powder. A smaller boat follows behind and helps to disperse it.
Usually, throngs of people watch the event from the Riverwalk and Michigan Avenue bridge on the morning of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. This year, to avoid crowds, it was done quietly and without any publicity.
Why does Chicago do this strange thing?
Because Chicago adores St. Patrick’s Day. Because it’s fun. Because it’s Chicago, and we get a kick out of turning things green.
Forget the green river, do Chicagoans really drink green beer?
Why yes, we do. Only on St. Patrick’s Day. And you can easily make it yourself. Put three drops of green food coloring in your beer and throw some corned beef and cabbage in your crockpot for your very own authentic Chicago St. Patrick’s Day.
