there Chicago River Painted green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, it continues a tradition of more than 60 years.
Boats plyed the river on Saturday to dump dye into the water.
An initiative of the Chicago Plumbers Union, The Plumbers Union Local 130One from 1961.
That year, the union’s chief executive, Stephen Bailey, asked one of his plumbers why his overalls were green, according to a statement.
Then he realized that the dye used to detect leaks in the river had turned green.
That’s when he got the idea to use this dye to dye the river green on St. Patrick’s Day, which is environmentally friendly because it’s already being discharged into water bodies.
Since 1962, dye — the recipe remains secret — has been poured into the river by city plumbers every year.
The event coincides with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Chicago.
More than 18 kg of dye is used to turn the river green.
Watch green water flow through downtown Chicago in the video above
