News
KALAMAZOO, MI — The city of Kalamazoo is placing dye that may appear in surface water, and officials are advising citizens not to be alarmed if they see it. The effort is part of an investigation to meant to keep harmful materials out of the water.
City of Kalamazoo personnel are using fluorescent green tracer dye to assist in the implementation of the city of Kalamazoo’s Illicit Discharge Elimination Program in the downtown area from Aug. 19, through Aug. 24.
The State of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has been notified and has approved the tracer dye testing, the city said in a news release.
The purpose of the dye testing is to investigate possible illicit discharges to the city’s stormwater sewer system, the city said in a news release.
The dye can appear in local surface water, the city said. The sight of the dye can be alarming to citizens.
Since the storm sewers in the City of Kalamazoo discharge stormwater directly to local lakes, rivers and streams, the city works to protect the local water resources, the news release states.
Sometimes the City will use dye testing to help eliminate plumbing connections to the stormwater sewer system that should not be connected or to investigate materials being dumped into the stormwater sewer system. These dyes are safe and can help prevent potentially harmful materials from getting into our local lakes, rivers and streams.
The work is being done pursuant to the city’s Stormwater Phase II NPDES Permit (MS4 General NPDES Permit).
