Isaac Hale, Daily Herald file photo

Over the past year, a group of Utah Valley University students have been conducting research into reducing phosphorus and nitrogen in Utah Lake, both nutrients that can lead to the growth of toxic algal blooms.

The students are in the process of creating and testing genetically modified algae that would act as a sponge to absorb nitrogen and phosphorus with the goal of reducing those nutrients that harmful algal blooms feed off of.

Erick Alvarez, a junior studying bioinformatics, said the hope is that the modified algae they’re creating will “starve” the toxic algal blooms and prevent them from growing as much.

The team’s genetically modified algae is called Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and they’ve named the project “Bloom Buster.” The research team consists of 15 students and two professors.

Toxic algal blooms in the lake can be harmful to humans and animals. Last summer, a family’s dog died after visiting Utah Lake and coming in contact with algal blooms.

Courtesy Mike Bird

The Utah Department of Environmental Quality monitors the water each year and the county health department often issues health advisories when blooms begin accumulating, which can limit recreational activity in Utah Lake.

Natalia Frezzia, a junior studying biotechnology, said the team is in the process of trying to create a single algae that can trap both phosphorus and nitrogen. Currently, they have one that addresses nitrogen and another for phosphorus.

“​​So right now, what our goal is is to test those algae and hopefully combine both pathways into one algae so you don’t need a batch of two different algae to do the same thing,” she said.

Frezzia said the research is still being tested in the lab and hasn’t been tested in the real world yet, though they are able to mimic the conditions of Utah Lake as they continue researching.

The end goal, of course, is to fine-tune the project and eventually begin implementing it.

Frezzia said their hope is to implement the algae in wastewater treatment facilities, which contribute to the excess nutrients that cause toxic algal blooms.

According to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, about 80% of the phosphorus in Utah Lake comes from wastewater treatment plants that drain into the lake.

The Utah Lake Preservation Fund, created by the state Legislature in 2022, has awarded millions to various cities to improve water reclamation facilities. For example, Spanish Fork received $7 million from the state last year for wastewater treatment upgrades to better filter nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus out of wastewater before it reaches the lake.

If implemented, the impact may not be immediate but would likely improve the lake’s water quality over time.

“It might not fix the problem like 100%, but I definitely think it’s a good first step and how we can take better care of the water and also kind of hopefully show Utah there are like ways we can kind of fix the things that are happening in the state,” Alvarez said.

While the research is still in the lab, the team of students and professors has already received global recognition in the research world for their work.

Last November, the team won a silver medal at the International Genetically Engineered Machine, or iGEM, Grand Jamboree competition in Paris, a synthetic biology competition where students from around the world present research projects focused on solving local issues. The UVU team hopes to attend the competition again this fall and present their progress.

Frezzia, who attended the competition last year, said she received emails from researchers in Pakistan and Spain asking about their work and offering help.

Alvarez said the competition is a “cool opportunity” for the students, especially being from a smaller, lesser-known public university and not having the same resources as the University of Utah or Brigham Young University.

That opportunity comes with a price tag, though, with the team also seeking donations to support their work and ability to attend iGEM through the university’s website.

Alvarez said they also hope to educate the community about their work and synthetic biology.

He said sometimes people have an adverse reaction to hearing about genetic modification and they want to provide more education on the topic. “It’s not Jurassic Park,” he said.

Members of the team recently visited Richfield High School to discuss the algae project as well as to teach high schoolers about synthetic biology.

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