Wagga resident Peter Moloney, who walks along Lake Albert a couple of times a week, said he had never seen the algae so bad before. 

“I've seen the blue-green algae out there before, but I've never paid much attention to it because it’s never been too bad,” Mr Moloney said.

“When I got around to the Boat Club and I looked back, it was horrific – it came right up onto the sand and it shocked me because I’ve never seen it so bad.

“It just looks like someone’s thrown a tin of green paint onto the lake.” 

Wagga City Council is due to meet with local businesses and lake-users at 1pm on Thursday afternoon as part of an ongoing committee that will look for long-term solutions for the blue-green algae. 

The council issued a health warning in December advising that humans and animals avoid coming into contact with the lake.

Now, three months later, the presence of algae still lingers and the council’s warning is yet to be lifted.

Mother of two Nicky Scott, who was visiting Wagga from Sydney, said she had never seen anything like the algae on Lake Albert before.  

“I can understand that, for a resident used to enjoying the lake, it would be quite annoying, but for a visitor, it was quite spectacular to see,” Ms Scott said.

“The usual brown that you see in satellite pictures has been replaced by the deep green tea-like soup, and it’s so thick when it’s washing up on the shore.” 

Wagga residents were not so pleased with the situation, taking to Facebook last night to vent their frustrations.

“There is so much potential for business in and around the lake, but let’s just sit on our hands and do nothing,” Jason Solomon posted.

“How bad does it have to get before something will be done,” Kelly Rands asked. 

“Seriously, it smells so bad on Lake Albert Road and Lakeside Drive end that you can hardly walk around it anymore,” Cassie Ween posted.

The council’s last algae reading was taken on February 28, which once again tested positive for blue-green algae. 

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