A Sydney-based algae expert visited Wagga over the weekend in a bid to launch a research project into Lake Albert’s record-breaking blue-green algae crisis.
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After discovering the extent of Lake Albert’s ongoing algal blooms, Associate Professor Ali Abbas applied for a NSW Environmental Research Grant in March to launch a three-year scientific study on behalf of Sydney University.
Associate Professor Abbas arrived in Wagga on Friday morning to attend a series of meetings and visits to the lake with Wagga City Council designed to get the research project up and running.
After seeing Lake Albert for the very first time, the professor said the algae was a long-term problem that required long-term solutions.
“The urban development in the catchment area of the lake and the population is increasing, so that will continue to add stress on the lake and, every cycle of summer, the algae will emerge again,” Associate Professor Abbas said.
“We could continue to put band-aid solutions on the problem every season or, through data and research, we could arrive at the root cause of the algae or the low-hanging fruit in terms of the solution much faster.”
If his application is successful, the research grant will allow Associate Professor Abbas and his team to create impressive wireless sensor technology capable of monitoring the Lake’s nutrient load.
“The philosophy is that, if we can understand what's going on, we can then devise the right implementation solutions,” Associate Professor Abbas said.
“Simply sighting the algae allows us to see the scale of the problem, but doesn't give us any indication of what the root cause really is.”
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