By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
GREAT BEND — Great Bend Public Lands Director Scott Keeler said this month that Veterans Lake is next to the lowest that he has seen it in 28 years. Keeler said you would be hard pressed to find water deeper than eight feet at the moment. On average, the water level is currently between four and a half to six feet deep. On an average year, the deepest point of the lake is usually 11 and a half feet.
While the drought has taken a toll on many bodies of water, Keeler pointed out
the City of Great Bend is still having to constantly monitor Vets Lake.
"It still has a touch of blue-green algae," said Keeler. "It's been
concentrated and we're still within safe limits. Last month, we put new
aerators in it. They were eight years old. The aerators help diffuse the
water and add oxygen to ensure that the fish have plenty of oxygen."
In the years past, city crews had to treat the lake with aluminum sulfate which
gathers the blue-green algae and phosphorus, combines them, and drops it to the
bottom so the lake can go through its regular cycle of turnover in the spring
and fall. Keeler said alum hasn’t been used for the past three years.
"It's
something we're going to have to maintain and keep testing," said
Keeler. "As needed, we'll treat the water to keep it in control. We
don't want to have another fish kill like we did several years back."
The previous blue-green algae issues wiped out most of the habitat for fish.
This spring, Great Bend will add aquatic water life, or plants, to the bottom
of the lake to increase the fish habitat.