Chicago River Dyed Green for St. Patrick's Day

CHICAGO -- One of the biggest St. Patrick's Day traditions in Chicago is dyeing the Chicago River green. Residents and tourists alike often make the trek to the river to see it dyed a bright green just a few days before St. Patrick's Day. This year the river will be dyed Saturday, March 12, at 10 a.m.

The story goes that dyeing the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day began when Stephen Bailey, the business manager of Chicago's Journeyman Plumbers Local Union #110, ran into a plumber who was part of the union had green stains on his white overalls. The plumber explained that the "Irish green" color was from his crew working to detect leaks and that the dye helped them find the source. Although at the time the plumbers were using fluorescein dye and it was used the first few times to dye the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day, the EPA later outlawed using this substance after it proved to be harmful to the river, especially in such large quantities.

Today, the local plumbers union still sponsors the dyeing of the Chicago River. They no longer use fluorescein, but instead use "secret" ingredient that's safe in addition to using large amounts of vegetable oil. The dyeing usually takes place the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day and onlookers can watch the crews in speedboats dousing the river with the dye.

Chicago resident Erica Nguyen makes the trip to the river every year to witness the tradition.

"My kids love it and we've been going for the past five years," she said. "It's a lot of fun and quite a few people show up."

Since it is a huge Chicago tradition, Nguyen offered advice to those wanting to watch it: "Get there early, otherwise you might not get a spot at the starting point and will have to stand further down the river where you'll barely be able to see anything, especially if you have smaller kids. And if you come too late you won't get to see the watch changing color. Also remember to check the weather. Chicago in mid March can be crazy and you'll probably be standing outside for at least 20 minutes."

This year the starting of the dying process will be in a different location from last year at the section of Wabash and Columbus Drive. For the best viewing location, grab a spot at the east side of the Michigan Avenue bridge or the west side of the Columbus Drive bridge.