PRESS RELEASE – Monday Dye Test Will Color Sacramento River
The blue waters of the Sacramento River will briefly take on added hues of green and red on Monday March 8 as City of Redding Wastewater Utility crews use dye to measure plant discharges.
The inert, non-toxic dye will be added to the diffusers – perforated pipes that release clean, treated effluent from the City’s wastewater treatment plants into the Sacramento River. Red dye will be used at the Stillwater Wastewater Treatment Plant near Airport Road and the Clear Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant just east of Highway 273 in South Redding. The dye is harmless and not harmful to marine life or plants, according to Dennis McBride, Wastewater Utility Manager.
The test will be staged in early afternoon on Monday, weather permitting, and progress of the dye will be monitored and photographed. Results will be used to help study the dispersion of the effluent into the river in the “mixing zone” adjacent to each plant. The test is among the requirements of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board and the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System administered by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Contact: Greg Clark, assistant to the city manager
gclark@ci.redding.ca.us
