FREDERICA, Del. (AP) - Delaware’s Murderkill River ran red last week, but it wasn’t with blood.
For a few days, a portion of the Murderkill River near the Kent County Waste Water facility was spotted with a deep red hue, living up to its grim name. But news outlets report the unusual color was actually a dye released into the water by scientists.
The Delaware News Journal says the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Food and Drug administration led the study. The paper says researchers pumped the dye through the county’s treatment facility. The dye was then tracked and observed as it dispersed as a way for scientists to gauge and prepare for potential sewage spills that could endanger the state’s oyster population.
Scientists say the dye isn’t harmful.
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