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The Jordan River in Lehi near 2100 North is pictured Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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Dead fish are observed in the Jordan River near Thanksgiving Park in Lehi on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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Dead fish are observed in the Jordan River near Thanksgiving Point Golf Course in Lehi on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025.

Courtesy photo

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An information sign along a section of the Jordan River Trail in Lehi is pictured Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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Dead fish are observed in the Jordan River near Main Street in Lehi on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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In recent weeks, people who frequent a portion of the Jordan River Trail in Lehi have taken to community Facebook pages wondering why dead fish are floating along the river.

As of Wednesday, the Utah Division of Water Quality was still looking into the issue and had not publicly revealed an exact cause for the recent fish kill. However, the agency said in a press release last week that low oxygen levels in the river and harmful algal blooms in the water are likely factors.

The agency also cited warm temperatures in the water as another potential reason.

According to the release, a “private citizen” alerted the Utah Division of Water Quality about dead fish seen floating downstream in the river near 1500 North by Willow Park in Lehi.

“The Division of Water Quality observed approximately 50 dead fish and observed algae consistent with the appearance of harmful algal blooms,” the release reads.

Dead fish washed up along the banks of the river have been spotted under the 2100 North overpass and near the Thanksgiving Point golf course.

One Lehi resident, who asked to only be identified by her first name, Natasha, said she first noticed the issue on Friday while she was at the golf course.

“I noticed a couple dead, huge fish floating in the water, and I thought that was just, you know, normal,” she said.

But on Sunday, when Natasha and her husband were out for a walk a little farther north of the golf course on the trail, the smell of dead fish became unbearable.

“The smell was so bad; it just kept kind of coming in and out,” she told the Daily Herald in a phone call on Tuesday. “And then it got so bad my husband said, ‘Oh, I think we found the culprit to the smell.'”

At one point along the trail, Natasha said they noticed dozens of dead fish clumped up on the banks of the Jordan River.

“We just turned around and walked away from it because the smell was just so bad,” she said, “And then we noticed that if you look across the river, lined up against the bank, there’s just lots of lots of dead fish.”

Natasha said she was curious as to the cause and who may be responsible for the cleanup.

She and her husband are among those who have voiced their concerns about the matter on community Facebook pages.

“What is going on in the Jordan River!? There are dead fish EVERYWHERE!!!” one woman wrote on the Lehi City Chat page Monday morning.

The Jordan River is fed by Utah Lake, which is currently under warning advisory because of algal blooms.

Officials say algae in the water may be producing dangerous toxins that can make humans and animals sick.

The Utah Division of Water Quality says similar advisories are posted for public awareness at a pair of Jordan River locations in the county — Utah Lake outlet near Inlet Park in Saratoga Springs and 1500 North in Lehi.

The fish kill occurred near one of the warning advisory locations, according to the agency.

“(That) section of the Jordan River hasn’t had fish kill problems in the previous year, but this season has been different,” said John Mackey, director of the Division of Water Quality. “We’re working with our partners to monitor water quality and share information with the public.”

The Utah Division of Water Quality says it hopes to have a definite cause for the fish kill in the coming days. In the meantime, people planning to recreate near the Jordan River or Utah Lake are encouraged to keep themselves and their pets away from the water where algal blooms are present.