Scientists find new organisms in Soap Lake water

Value unknown, but conservancy board chair lauds excitement of new discovery

Three new classifications of micro-organisms have been found living in Soap Lake, according to papers that will be published in scientific journals by state university scientists.

This information was announced Saturday afternoon at a meeting of the Soap Lake Conservancy, a group of about 30 people who are dedicated to maintaining the quality of the lake water.

The report was delivered by Jerry Vice, chairman of the conservancy.

The first organism, discovered by Washington State University researcher Brent Peyton, is a bacterium that digests a compound that is the product of petroleum, Vice said.

Peyton found the organism, called Halomonas campisalis, to be a brand new species, Vice said.

That information will be published in the late May edition of the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, Vice said.

That information has also been presented by Peyton at scientific conferences nationally and overseas, including Slovenia, New Orleans and Montana, Vice said.

A second bacterium, discovered by Dr. Holly Pinkart, a Central Washington University researcher, digests a wood product called lignin, Vice said.

To make paper, manufacturers must first remove lignin from the wood pulp, which means the discovery could lead to some commercial value to the lake, Vice said, though that process could take years.

Some people at the meeting expressed concern about the lake suddenly being exploited to industry. Vice said the organisms would more likely be removed from lake in a few gallons of water, then brought to a laboratory for further work.

The lake is owned by the McKay Hospital, which would receive any benefits extracted from the water, Vice said.

The University of Washington team found a second organism that eats sulfide then makes a byproduct of mirabilite. The use of this process is yet unknown, Vice said, but University of Washington scientists think they have found a brand new genus ~ one classification above a species.

Both of those findings are slated for publication in scientific journals within the next few months, Vice said.

Regardless of any monetary value these new life forms might bring, Vice said the important fact is what can be discovered in the unique mineral waters of Soap Lake.

"If you think about the impact of the research, there are the findings that maybe 10 years from now, or 50 years from now, could impact some part of the human experience," Vice said.