A branch of the Elizabeth River will have a rusty hue for several days after someone spilled a non-toxic dye into a storm drain.
Norfolk Fire-Rescue and the city’s Stormwater Division notified the Department of Environmental Quality that up to 275 gallons of iron oxide dye had been spilled. The dye turned the water dark red, the city said in a news release.
The dye is not considered hazardous, and isn’t expected to cause any environmental or health issues, according to the city. The dye is used to color mulch. A spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality said drinking water won’t change color because there isn’t a drinking water intake point near the site of the spill.
The color is expected to take a couple days to dissipate fully. It originated from a residence in the Ingleside neighborhood, a spokesperson for the city said.
“The dye is being carried by the tide and wind, and as of about an hour ago, it had made its way just outside of Broad Creek, a tributary of the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River,” Irina Calos, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, said Friday afternoon.
The fire marshal gave the person responsible for the spill a warning for an illicit discharge into a storm drain because the substance isn’t toxic, according to Glen Williams, a spokesperson for the fire department. Williams said it was “easy” to figure out who did it. “Just follow the trail,” Williams said.
Calos said the storm drain was right next to the homeowner’s driveway. Calos said they haven’t determined whether the dye belonged to the individual for personal or commercial use. “It’s kind of weird for a residence to have a ton of mulch dye, so that’s part of what [investigators] are looking into is what actually was the intended use,” Calos said.
That's some serious mulching
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