David Offer drops this interesting bit of eco-history into the Kennebec Journal today:
Chicago is also famous for a somewhat peculiar annual St. Patrick's Day event: dyeing the Chicago River green. The tradition started in 1962, when city pollution-control workers used dye to trace illegal sewage discharges and realized that a green river might provide a unique way to celebrate the holiday. That year, they released 100 pounds of green vegetable dye into the river -- enough to keep it green for a week.
To minimize environmental damage, only 40 pounds of dye are now used, making the river green for only several hours.
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