Why Does Kalamazoo Arcadia Creek Look Green and Yellow?

It's not uncommon for bodies of water to take on a shade of dark green once in a while. It just means the rivers and creeks are doing their jobs of moving certain biologics, and nutrient-rich soil down stream. But, there's nothing natural about the color of Arcadia Creek this week.

Turns out, while it looks strange, it's actually harmless, but could mean some nasty stuff is in the water, aside from what we already know about.

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One of the first things I was taught when moving to Kalamazoo was don't swim in the river, and don't eat the fish.

As I understand it, that's due to decades of chemical and oil spills within the river's banks. But as harmful as those chemicals can be, this week, the City of Kalamazoo is looking for something even more disgusting - sewage.

The City of Kalamazoo is conducting testing between Drake and Howard Streets through Oct. 22nd. In that test, they will be releasing tracer dye into the sanitary sewer. And their HOPE is, they don't see much of the dye turn up in Arcadia Creek and the Kalamazoo River.

But it's entirely possible.

So while they are testing the area, the city, and Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department has issued a no-contact advisory with Arcadia Creek, specifically from Jay Drive to Oliver Street for all pets and persons.

Initially, it was issued back in September after a sewage system overflow that happened on a private system, not maintained by the city. It resulted in hundreds of gallons of sewage being spilled into the creek.

Crews are hopeful they won't find anything serious, but the spillage into the creek raised some serious concerns, which is why they decided to investigate.