HOPEWELL - Algae is the enemy of the James River and the Chesapeake Bay, after all, too much of it kills off the fishing habitat and it means the nitrogen levels are way too high.

But a new experiment is underway at the Hopewell Wastewater Treatment Facility, and if successful it could clean up both and help reduce our need for foreign oil.

The project, funded through a stimulus grant, takes algae and uses it to reduce nitrogen levels in wastewater before being discharged into the James River.

What is needed is a low cost way to get nitrogen levels down and algae seems to fit the bill.

While it's only in its third month, already the unique experiment is being watched carefully by state leaders.

Senator Mark Warner visited the site today to see firsthand how the project is going. While he admits it will take a year's worth of data to determine if the project is feasible, he and many others like what they see so far.

If algae is the answer, there would be a need for someone to grow the algae and when its use is over, there are companies that could convert it into a type of bio fuel.

While full scale use of algae to reduce nitrogen levels isn't yet a reality, the idea and the experiment have plenty of people taking notice.