Metairie Canal Flows Green, But Not For St. Patrick’s Day

You've probably seen video from Chicago where they dye the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day right? Well, here in Louisiana we've got our own green waterways. Except, ours aren't supposed to look like what you'll see in Chicago. Our green waters look more like this:

As it turns out the green coloring you see in the water of this canal in Metairie was actually put there on purpose. It's not some biohazard runoff, it's actually an environmentally friendly chemical that the Jefferson Parish Street Department uses to trace cracks in underground drainage pipes.

Unfortunately, the great greenish hue to the water won't be around long enough to see St. Patrick's Day on Sunday but you can bet the cracks in the drainage pipes will be there long past the wearing of the green.