Unusual lime green water no cause for concern, says Oak Bay

Photo: Stephen Calderwood

Bright-green pools of water on a Victoria-area beach Tuesday are nothing to be concerned about, an Oak Bay official says.

The unusual sight was spotted Tuesday on Willows Beach.

The colour is the result of dye used by the municipality to test connections between houses and the water system, said Dan Horan, director of engineering and public works for Oak Bay.

Often when pipes need to be replaced or upgraded, the district will use the biodegradable dye, which enables staff to see the flow of water, to check that the connections are working as they should be.

The dye can be flushed down the toilet to ensure it ends up in the sanitary sewer system, or put into perimeter drains around a house to confirm it ends up in the storm drain system, he said.

When the dye shows up somewhere it’s not expected, it’s an indication a connection needs to be fixed, Horan said.

Because outfalls from the storm system are along the shore, the green dye sometimes shows up on the beach.