Neon green water in Wrightsville Beach leaves people with questions

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. (WECT) - The water along the south end of Wrightsville Beach on Monday was a surprise to folks living there: it was neon green.

Social media posts spurred speculation as to what caused the green water. While some thought it might be runoff from fertilizers, others suspected algae was to blame, and a few believed it was some sort of dye.

As it turns out, the latter are correct.

“It’s dye, I think it is an environmental sensitive dye, but I think people are going to ask a couple more questions of state agencies; but basically it’s used to find leaks,” Town Manager Tim Owens said.

Although environmentally friendly, people are still wondering where exactly it came from. Owens said he believes it’s a neighbor of the U.S. Coast Guard’s property, who has been frustrated with ongoing construction that has led to erosion and sinkholes.

The USCG confirmed that the dye was not from their property and that it was coming from the neighbor; however, they did not elaborate on the reason someone would dye the water green.

Dyes like the one suspected in the waterway are harmless, and are used to detect leaks and runoff from properties into the water. It can also be used to identify currents and it’s even used to help show rip currents, which are typically difficult to see from the beach.