If you’re going to be anywhere near the Santa Monica Pier on Monday, you might notice something different.
The difference? The water will be pink, instead of the normal blueish-green we are all used to.
That is because researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles Samueli School of Engineering, in cooperation with The Bay Foundation, are releasing a non-toxic pink dye into the water near the pier — around 100 yards north and 100 yards south of it — starting on Monday.
This project builds on a 2024 experiment by the UCLA Coastal Flood Lab and The Bay Foundation, continuing efforts to study how the Santa Monica Breakwater influences ocean circulation and contributes to poor water quality. It is the first time such an experiment will be conducted in the Santa Monica Bay.
“It will help us to better understand pollution,” Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete said. “As many know, unfortunately, unlike all of our other beaches, [the beach] 100 yards north and south of the pier often ends up on the ‘beach bummer list’ getting a bad grade.”
The dye will help test water quality and study how the breakwater affects the surrounding environment, UCLA researchers explained. The first dye release on Monday will be followed by more next week (Sept. 22-24) and one more on Sept. 30, weather permitting.
“The fluorescent Rhodamine Water Tracer dye, which has been used by researchers for many years to understand water movement, will disperse naturally and pose no risk to people, animals or vegetation,” UCLA officials said. “The water containing the dye will carry the passive tracer wherever the current leads. If wave conditions are favorable, researchers will release the dye near the breakwater and use monitors to track its movement.”
Officials added that the dye releases have been reviewed and approved by the city of Santa Monica, the California Coastal Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
More information on the project can be found here.
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