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ALTUS - Altus' public works director is hopeful that the treatment being applied to the Altus City Reservoir will help thwart the golden algae that has resurfaced and killed hundreds of pounds of fish in recent weeks.

Robert Stephenson told the Altus City Council on Tuesday night that the problem with the algae has returned within the past six weeks and that the city has begun ammonium sulfate treatment, which was to continue today at both the east and west reservoirs.

“It's a nasty and insidious parasite that shows up in the water,” Stephenson said, “and we're doing the best we can to deal with it.”

Texas, Stephenson pointed out, has been dealing with the problem since 1985, adding that, “I still find it hard to believe that the scientists and biologists don't know where it came from, they don't know really how it spread ... the only thing that they know for certain is once you have golden algae, you have it from then on.”

The Public Works Department, he said, is working with the state Department of Wildlife to tackle the problem, adding that the city has been lucky that treatment applied to the reservoirs in September 2004, when the problem first came to light, carried over until about six weeks ago, when fish began to appear once again floating on the water's surface.

Stephenson said that according to wildlife officials, and research that he's done on the Texas Department of Wildlife Web site, live fish that are taken from the reservoirs present no danger to mammals if eaten, and no danger exists in drinking the water.

It is, however, especially deadly to the shad, carp and drum fish that inhabit the reservoirs, adding that some 500 to 600 pounds of the dead fish have been scooped from the waters recently by department personnel and women from the state Department of Corrections work center. The game fish in the reservoirs - primarily bass and catfish - are less susceptible to the parasite, Stephenson said.

Also, Stephenson updated the council on the $10.6 million reverse osmosis water treatment plant, saying, “We're not ready to declare victory and say it's complete.” He pointed out that the primary contractor on the project is still on the site programming equipment and updating programming and that the plant still has electrical problems that need to be worked out with the plant's variable frequency drives. Water quality at the plant, however, far exceeds standards set by the state Department of Environmental Quality, he said.

In other action:

- The Altus Municipal Authority approved a temporary transfer of $573,734 from the Emergency Fund to the AMA fund to cover increased expenses for electrical power, fuel costs and medical claims. Altus Finance Director Joe Don Dunham told the authority that the city has used up some 95 percent of the money budgeted for electrical costs; 96 percent for fuel costs; and 93 percent for medical claims.

- The authority approved a transfer of $15,000 from the Trust Contingency to the airport budget to cover the cost of aviation related fuel costs to be used during the Altus AFB Air Show to be held May 20.