St. Patrick's Day: To Dye, Or Not To Dye

The City of Wilmington is debating whether or not to dye the Cape Fear River green in honor of St. Patty's Day. Chicago and Savannah have both incorporated river-dyeing into their annual St. Patty's Day celebrations.

Although festive, the idea raises concerns with one local environmental group - Cape Fear River Watch. According to the Cape Fear River keeper, Doug Springer, dumping chemicals into the river sends mixed messages to the community. Releasing chemicals, toxic or not, into a body of water seems counterintuitive.

Bright Dye - the product proposed for river-dyeing - is non-toxic, biodegradable, and approved by the EPA. The proposal has cleared all regulatory restrictions; however, Chris Andrews, of the Downtown Business Alliance, says the city wishes to get input from the public and local officials before making any final decisions

Written By Brittney Edwards