“We had two solid weeks of rain. We were just waiting for the best opportunity after the storms,” said Amy Kinkade, Director of Parks and Recreation of McKinney.
MCKINNEY, Texas — A few lakes and creeks in McKinney look a little different this week.
The city’s Parks and Recreation department administered a blue dye to Towne Lake Park and Falcon Creek Park.
The city tells WFAA they have done this in years past. However, the storms in late May and early June pushed the water treatment further into the summer.
“We had two solid weeks of rain. We were just waiting for the best opportunity after the storms,” said Amy Kinkade, Director of Parks and Recreation of McKinney. “[We do it] typically after storms just to clarify the water,” she said.
The storms and flooding churned up the lake beds leading to a muddy brown color.
“It’s greener. It was brown last week,” said JR Chidester, who fishes out of the park often.
Although it’s a blue dye, the water has more of a green tinge to it.
“It’s the coloration of the water and the blue turns it that green,” said Kinkade.
The city does this normally in the summer months for aesthetic reasons. And, there is some talk that the blue dye can also slow weed and algae growth because it acts as a buffer against the sun.
Kinkade does stress that the dye does not hurt the fish or other wildlife.
“We take such pride in what we have here in the city of McKinney within our parks and recreation,” she said.
McKinney says there will be two more dye treatments throughout the summer.