According to Local 130, other cities have attempted similar feats, but never found success. It’s that, the union says, and the magical color transformation that perhaps plumbers may have had ...

Each year, the Journeyman Plumbers Local 130 heads out on boats onto the Chicago River and pours an orange concoction into the water.

Chicago’s famous green river for St. Patrick’s Day started with a simple idea in the 1960s, formulated by the head of the Plumbers’ Union Local 130. “Stephen M. Bailey had the idea when ...