If you happen to be in Lawrence or anywhere near the Kansas River, don’t fret if you notice the water is red. It’s just the U. S. Geological Survey at work. Scientists are injecting a harmless, bright red fluorescent dye into the Kansas River at numerous locations, including Lawrence, Manhattan, Topeka and Eudora.
The study is being done in cooperation with the City of Lawrence, City of Manhattan, City of Olathe, City of Topeka, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Water Office and other groups, to provide a better understanding of how quickly water flows from one location to another. Water Resource Managers use this information to respond to potential critical events, such as blooms or spills that may make the water unsafe. Several dye-tracing experiments have been conducted along the Kansas River as part of this study, starting in September of 2020. The red dye will be measured using instruments in the stream.
