Green River in Spain Surprises Local Citizens
Pictures of the Gran Valira River posted to social media.
Residents living nearby the Gran Valira River that runs in the Pyrenees Mountains from Andorra through northeastern Spain were surprised last Thursday to find the river had turned a bright, emerald green. The river had changed color all the way from its source in Andorra into the Catalonia region of Spain.
Local officials say that there is nothing to fear, as the color was caused by a harmless dye added to the river to aid in investigating a Catalonia water bottling plant. The plant has been linked to an outbreak of gastroenteritis last year that left thousands sick after they drank from contaminated office water coolers.
Albert Batalla, the mayor of Seu d'Urgell, a city near where the Gran Valira River empties into the Segre River, has assured residents that the dye is "entirely harmless, non-toxic and biodegradable."
Similarly, the Andorran Ministry of Health released a statement saying that "it is an action that has no impact beyond the visual," and "was safe for both people and the environment."