Venice canals turn fluorescent green, sparking investigation

Patches of water in Venice’s canals turned fluorescent green on Sunday, Italian authorities reported. Experts still have not been able to determine what caused the bright green color to appear. 

“This morning a patch of phosphorescent green liquid appeared in the Grand Canal of Venice, reported by some residents near the Rialto Bridge. The prefect has called an urgent meeting with the police to investigate the origin of the liquid,” Veneto regional president Luca Zaia wrote on Twitter. 

#Venezia zonaRialto#presenza colorazioneverdeanomala#Arpav sul posto per accertamenti ambientali con @vigilidelfuoco e @Pol_Municipale pic.twitter.com/7v71QodfNA

— ARPA VENETO (@arpaveneto) May 28, 2023

The bright green color in the famous canals was first reported by local residents at around 9:30 a.m. local time and slowly grew. The regional environmental protection agency ARPAV collected samples of the water, which they handed over to experts to investigate what it was. 

Preliminary probes by ARPAV suggest that the color change is due to a type of dye that is used to trace water leaks, according to local media. Police said that the liquid did not pose a threat to local residents. 

Police are also investigating the incident to see if an individual or group purposefully changed the color of the water. They are reviewing CCTV surveillance tape and interviewing local gondolier pilots.

#28maggio #Venezia, Canal Grande colorato di verde e quello che hanno costatato questa mattina i #vigilidelfuoco intervenuti insieme ad @arpaveneto per dei prelievi per analizzare la colorazione anomala #soccorsiquotidiani pic.twitter.com/tzKoQqEXvx

— VigilFuoco Veneto (@vvfveneto) May 28, 2023

The incident comes a week after a group of environmental protesters poured vegetable charcoal to turn the water of Rome’s Trevi fountain black in protest of public subsidies to fossil fuels. The group responsible for the stunt, Ultima Generazione, said that they weren’t behind the emerald-green water in Venice canals. 

“It wasn’t us,” they told CNN. 

⚫️Carbone vegetale nell'acqua della Fontana di Trevi 🚰

1 casa su 4 in Italia è vulnerabile alle alluvioni.

Quanto dobbiamo ancora aspettare perché chi è al governo intervenga concretamente? pic.twitter.com/Au9fniQYrN

— Ultima Generazione (@UltimaGenerazi1) May 21, 2023

Venice’s canals changed color one other time in 1968 when Argentine artist Nicolas Garcia Uriburu dyed the water fluorescent green to draw attention to ecological concerns.