N. Palouse turns green: DOE orders water lab tests

Colfax health officials and state Department of Ecology staffers are awaiting the results of laboratory tests on a water sample taken Monday from the North Fork of the Palouse River next to Schmuck Park. The sample was taken from the river after residents reported late last week that the water in the river had turned green.

“It’s a pretty bright green,” said Elaine Snouwaert, a member of the water quality staff at the Department of Ecology in Spokane. Snouwaert Tuesday said she planned to send the sample to a laboratory in Seattle and expects a report in about two days.

The water coloration is...