A spill of "unidentified green stuff" that appeared on the Homer Spit the night of Sept. 18 may have been a water dye marker powder used by mariners on vessels in distress. St. Patrick's Day celebrants in Chicago know the dye for a more festive purpose: it's how the city turns the Chicago River green. Homer Harbor officials think the dye may have come from military exercises conducted last week by the Air National Guard, although the ANG said it didn't use water dye marker.
"That sounds like the most likely scenario," said Harbormaster Steve Dean.
Bill Russell, a retired Coast Guard pollution investigator now working in Chicago for Illinois Marine Towing, said when he saw photos of the spill online last week at www.homernews.com, he was struck at how similar the Spit spill looked to the Chicago River on St. Patrick's Day. Russell saw a link to the Homer News article on www.fredsplace.org, a site for Coast Guard members.
"That bright green: you only see that one place," he said.
The powder dropped in the Chicago River is an orange mix that turns green when it hits water, he said. The dye stays suspended in water for several hours. A photo of the river being dyed green is at www.chicagopictures.net.
Dean said by the time he got to work Wednesday morning the spill was gone. The Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment, Kenai, responded, and did not require a follow-up. Harbor officers did not see any lasting environmental effects, and there were no reports of injured or dead animals.
School children from McNeil Canyon Elementary School did a Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies CoastWalk survey and beach clean-up of the Homer Spit this Monday, but did not find any unusual canisters or packages, said Sheryl Sotelo, a teacher at McNeil Canyon. Sotelo did find a phosphorous flare canister at Bishop's Beach last Friday, and reported it to the Homer Police.
Homer Police Chief Mark Robl said police recovered the canister. That one was empty, but flares can sometimes have leftover powder, he said. The flares come from military training or searches.
"What folks need to do is contact us and we'll pick them up," Robl said.
Harbor officials still don't know exactly where the green spill came from or who put it there.
"It's a green mystery," Dean said. "When it wasn't there the next morning, I was pretty happy."
Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.
