Blue Liquid in Ditch Believed to Be Dye

After initial concern that 500 gallons of blue liquid found standing in a drainage ditch south of Oxnard might be toxic industrial waste, authorities said Monday that they believe it is a type of dye used to color flowers.

A state agriculture employee alerted the hazardous materials unit of the Ventura County Fire Department at 10:30 a.m. after stumbling across the spill in a ditch by Nauman and Dufau roads, a department spokeswoman said. The liquid formed a pool 12 inches deep and a quarter of a mile long.

The Fire Department’s hazardous materials team suited up in protective gear and used a long-handled probe to test the liquid before determining that it was harmless.

Because trace amounts of copper were found in the liquid, investigators also believed that it might be a nontoxic fertilizer, said Steve Mattren, a Ventura County environmental health specialist.

But after talking with area farmers, Mattren said he believes that the water-soluble substance is a dye used in the flower processing industry. No toxic gases were discovered and no evacuations were ordered, he said.