Lake Delton dyed blue.
Chicago River dyed green.
Let's just trade!

What they need to do is create a Lake District that will govern water usage and try to control runoff -- starting with homeowners who use phosphorus-based fertilizers. This is pretty basic from a science standpoint, but getting people to comply when they want green lawns is an uphill battle until they understand their green lawns mean a green lake.

If they want to save a few bucks on dye they can always take the blue stuff from porta-potties and RV holding tanks to get that lovely blue for the tourists.

No one can ever be happy no matter what IT IS BLUE DEAL WITH IT.

At least there will be plenty of bluegills for the fishermen!

So it's a fake lake that is now a fake color surrounded by fake tourist trap nonsense. Any more irony they want to throw on top of this situation?

This is absolutely disgusting. The water is supposed to be green, and if there is an algea problem, treat it naturally as to not harnm the animals & plants. Covering it up is a HUGE waste of money. Moreover, dying your lawn green is moronic. Water it! No wonder there are so many environmental issues in this country. Idiots.

Want to clean up the water, get rid of the green scum? Just introduce zebra mussels into the lake. Work like a charm.

wesorbust: You're wrong this sounds more like something a card carrying democrat would do as they are used to wasting taxpayers money!

Their number 1 industry is tourism. Probably a huge ROI.

I had to check my calendar to see if it was April 1st today.

What's the big deal, I died my brown grass to green. It looks great.

The point is that these companies make huge profits (I have no problem with this) but then turn to taxpayers to offset their expenses (I have a problem with this). WHY? Don't any of the small government advocates out here see a problem with this?

As an avid swimmer and open water competitor, I would not swim there after hearing this. The fact that an issue is being covered up instead of treated just doesn't sit well. What about swimmers with dye allergies? There are a lot of them out there who now need to be wary- allergic reactions can be severe, even fatal. If you want to affect the color of the lake, spend $30K to fix the ecology of the lake with a long term solution instead of creating its next issue to deal with by implementing a quick fix.

This is sad. Wisconsin was once a state with so much natural beauty. Now, we should be proud of FAKE beauty????

This dye job is about not turning off repeat visitors by having a green lake.

Most of the lot of you commenters really need to find something enjoyable in your lives. The constant shortsightedness and knee-jerk reaction when it comes to any government expenditure is disappointing.

they do over a billion dollars annually in tourism.

I don't see a big problem with it. 30k is not much for them, and if it gets 50 people to come back next year, it pays for itself. Many bodies of water are dealing with excessive algae this year due to low precipitation. The next month is the last of their "heavy" traffic time as kids will be going back to school in august, so they want to leave a good impression.

I think it's a great idea! The scummy lake looks bad. I think this will pay off for them with increased tourism.

30 grand for maybe 30 days of coloration,there should charges put forth on these morons for such a waste of money.

Business friendly government does things like this because businesses are fielding complaints from their customers that the lake doesn't look pretty.

If you look at the voters in Lake Delton - they're fully supportive of this kind of action to keep people visiting and spending their money in the Dells.

I'm not saying its right or wrong... it's more or less an investment in tourism - which is very easy to justify in that area.

The best line in the article in the State Journal is a quote from Tom Diehl, general manager of the Tommy Bartlett Ski Show, and a village board member who voted for the dye job, "I certainly would always recuse myself at the village on anything that had to do with my business interests," he said. Yeah, right.

Here's another sign that the world is spinning out of control:
"Grass painting spreads as U.S. drought ravages lawns"
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/usatoday...

Is green grass needed to make the blue water more attractive to tourists?

Corporate welfare anyone? Tea Party government here in Wisconsin, remember. Who authorized the release of tax payer money for this?

And what color will the fish be after a month? You know what I might go up to see. that is too funny.

I can almost guarantee one thing, all those members of the board in Lake Delton that voted to dump the dye in are probably card carrying Republicans.

" Tom Diehl, general manager of the Tommy Bartlett Show, a water-ski-based entertainment that has been a staple at Lake Delton for 60 years, also is a member of the Lake Delton village Board. He was one of four trustees who approved the dye job as an emergency measure July 9, said village clerk-treasurer Kay Mackesey."

Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/e...

Yes, it was an emergency. Tell me how needing Lake Delton to be blue in one of the worst droughts in recent history was an emergency.

And I had my heart set on pink.
Maybe next year.

This reminds me of the story when soldiers in the USSR would paint the grass green to impress the visiting generals. I thought it was stupid, and I think this is stupid. Fire whoever approved of this complete waste of money.

More important, whose decision was this ???

I have to agree with everyone, $30,000 and it will last between 2 weeks and a month? The best case costs $1000 a day. Will having blue water attract enough in new business a day to make it worth it? I think the majority of people would have gone regardless of the color of the water.

Ridiculous waste of tax money. This should have been paid by the Tommy Bartlett ski show if they are the ones who benefit. I guess you can do anything if you have enough money, including getting the state taxpayers to foot the bill. And what did the EPA have to say about it?

I dont think the color of the water will have one impact on tourism. People are going to go or not go regardless. I would be more turned off to go knowing there is dye in the water. $30k is pocket change for the Dells.

Maybe they should have used this technique earlier, BEFORE the algae bloom. This is similar to the product that can be purchased at Menards, Farm and Fleet, and the various floral centers that offer pond supplies.
I used it in a Koi Pond and in my fountains to prevent algae.

http://www.pondsolutions.com/

http://www.aquaticbiologists.com/dye.sht...

A spokesman says"the dye is not harmful in any way." While I agree this is putting lipstick on a pig, it isn't poisoning anything as jwim implies. Now, the 30k of taxpayer money better generate a lot of money in tourism. Hopefully that will provide a means to actually clean up the lake.

how absolutely ridiculous...and this harmless dye will let light penetrate the water column? the money would have been better spent stocking the lake with top-down predators....

Seriously? That is one the most ridiculous things I've heard in a long time. Upset the ecosystem in Lake Delton by throwing in $30K of blue dye, all for the sake of making sure the tourists aren't upset by seeing lake water be it's natural color?? If you want to "fix" the lake, poisoning the fish and wildlife doesn't seem to be the place to start.
Bass ackwards.