Wagga Wagga City Councillor Tim Koschel said there was no silver bullet solution for the ongoing blue-green algae issues plaguing Lake Albert. Photo: Jesse McInnes.
Wagga Wagga City Council insists there are no restrictions on Lake Albert despite concerning images taken via a drone.
Lake Albert resident Jesse McInnes took to social media over the weekend to share bird’s eye images of the state of the lake.
The images clearly showcase the spread of the algae, with many people stating their disgust with how the lake has been treated.
Wagga councillor Tim Koschel addressed the public’s concerns about the lake, stating the chemical trial undertaken by Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC) with water cleansing company Hydro2050, will take time to show results.
“Unfortunately there is no silver bullet for the issues facing the lake,” he said.
“We’ve currently supported a trial which is now underway for a different lot of technology, which we hope to see results of soon.
“We’re working with different companies and organisations to look at an outcome that will improve the lake without dumping chemicals into it that will make it worse.
“The trial we’re doing this year is different to the trial we conducted last year and we hope to see if it works more effectively than it has in the past.
“The trial only started at the end of January, which was later than we would have liked, but unfortunately due to council elections, we were unable to decide on the trial until December.”
The drone images caused quite a stir online with many Lake Albert residents showing their concerns for the lake. Photo: Jesse McInnes.
Despite the sludge-like appearance of the lake from the overhead images, WWCC released a statement clarifying that the trial is only two weeks into its six-month contract.
“The trial of the Hydro2050 has commenced and council will continue to monitor the impact of the treatment on the lake’s water quality over the coming six months,” the statement read.
“The results from the samples taken on Wednesday 5 February 2025 were consistent with recent results with the lake continuing to be on algae amber alert for water quality.
“While there are no restrictions attached to an amber alert, an increased amount of water sampling occurs to ensure any risks are more accurately assessed.
“Samples were taken late last week (14 February) with the results due back to council this week.”
WWCC said it would continue to monitor the water quality across the next six months and would negotiate with Hydro2050 on whether it continued its partnership once the trial had concluded.
“Council undertakes weekly monitoring of the water quality at Lake Albert for blue-green algae (BGA) and bacterial content during the summer period,” a spokesperson said.
“Council will assess results at the end of the trial and determine whether council will continue using Hydro2050 into the future.”
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