A mass mailing to City of Great Bend residential utility customers informing them about efforts to solve the algae problem at Veterans Memorial Lake has yet to go out, but city officials said plans are still in the works.
City Human Resources Director Terry Hoff told the City Council Monday night that they will begin relocating the swans from the lake to Brit Spaugh Zoo as soon as the weather allows, possibly this week. However, they all won’t be moved at one time.
“They just won’t all get into the back of a truck,” he said, adding it may be a struggle to wrangle the large white birds. This could take a few days.
Next, Hoff said, city staff will turn their attention to chasing the Canada geese away. The waste from these birds is seen as a key contributor to the toxic blue-green algae problem.
“We’re going to start making some noise,” Hoff said. The city purchased two orange, hand-held pistol-like launchers that will be used to shoot “bird bombs” and “screamers” 80 feet into the air over the lake.
This will be done during the day between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., to minimize the disturbance to area residents. A public announcement will be made prior to the start of this effort.
In addition, state health and wildlife officials have been notified about the intent to introduce chemicals into the water to eliminate the algae. Now, monitoring is taking place to get a baseline by which to judge improvements.
Next, after the necessary equipment arrives and city personnel have had the needed training, the process will begin.
 The city has battled algae in the lake for years. The City Council approved contracting with a consulting firm, CH2M Hill, of Englewood, Colo., last month to remediate the problem. The informational letter outlines the steps being taken.
The letter is being printed and should be mailed in the next few days, Hoff said. 
“As you are probably aware, Vet’s Lake has experienced a serious problem with blue-green algae for the past few years,” the letter reads. “This has led the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to place the lake under a warning status that encourages people and pets to avoid prolonged contact with the water. As time has passed, it has become increasingly clear that the lake will not ‘heal’ itself and it is necessary for us to take certain steps to correct the situation.”
In the near future, the city will begin focusing on a number of efforts. These include the following:
• Obtaining public understanding and support for restoration efforts is critical to the success. “We will attempt to keep you informed as we move forward with this effort. We may use a combination of direct mail, the media, and/or our City website at www.greatbendks.net to help keep you informed.”
• They will attempt to reduce the amount of phosphorus (the ingredient that feeds the algae) in the lake. This will need to be accomplished in two ways. First, they must make an effort to make the lake less inviting to the goose population because phosphorus is concentrated in their waste. It will be necessary for the city to make a sustained effort to harass the geese and encourage them to move on.
 Second, they need to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering the lake through storm water runoff which occurs primarily through the introduction of lawn and crop fertilizers, washing of grass clippings and leaves into storm drains, etc. In addition, they will be looking at ways to make long-term improvements to the watershed that drains into the lake .
• The city will plan to establish a baseline monitoring system to document the current condition of the lake and to assess the effectiveness of our restoration efforts over the course of time.
• The city will introduce an alum micro-floc chemical dose into the lake to reduce the phosphorus and improve water clarity. This should help in the short-term, but it is not intended as a permanent solution to the problem. The alum micro-floc has been determined to be safe and effective and has been approved after conferring with KDHE.
• Once the algae problem has been resolved, the city will begin looking at re-balancing the lake ecosystem and restocking the lake with fish for recreational purposes. Vet’s Lake will still prohibit swimming and wading as it has in the past.
“All of these efforts will take time before the problem is eventually resolved,” the letter reads.”We appreciate your patience as we try to ‘take back’ our lake and make it a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.”