Wagga resident Jacinta Evans started the petition over the weekend to show the council "Wagga needs Lake Albert and that it is now time to complete action to fix it".

Mrs Evans told The Daily Advertiser that the petition gained about 1500 signatures in the first 24 hours it was online via Change.org and had nearly reached its 2500 signature goal by Monday afternoon.

"We want to show the council that the community wants the lake fixed," she said.

"Now is the perfect time to do it, let's do it now while it's empty so that when the rain does come, if they decide to pump in water or whatever decision they decide, it's in place. 

"Other wise we are still going to be in the same situation in 12 months."

Barry Carne Interstate Challenge announced this month that its ski race to be held on May 11 has been cancelled and a boat convoy would now take its place.

The Barry Carne committee, which has Mrs Evans as a member, blamed low water levels at Lake Albert and said Wagga's economy would miss out on an estimated $1 million in additional tourist trade.

Mrs Evans said the committee had invited all the councillors to attend a meeting at the Wagga Boat Club on the Barry Carne weekend.

Over the past 12 months the council has tried to place a shutter on Tatton Drain to redirect rain run-off into the lake, but was blocked by state regulations.

The council has also installed pontoons on the lake in an attempt to control blue green algae levels with ultrasound technology.

In February, a council spokesperson said they were exploring options with Riverina Water to boost the lake's level.

Councillor Kerry Pascoe said building a pipeline to raise the lake would be an expensive and risky strategy.

"We are doing everything we can at the present moment, and we have done a lot out there over a period of time," he said. 

"We understand the community's angst, and that angst is in people like myself too as I want to see the lake up to a condition where it can constantly run events."

Cr Pascoe said committing what he estimated to be $3 million for a pumped pipeline to the lake would leave the council at the mercy of fluctuation water prices and supply.

"If you go down and have a look at the river now, it's really low at the moment," he said.

"We have got to make sure that we have a constant supply of water and at a reasonable cost because you never know when water is going to go sky high."

Cr Pascoe said every time there was a public push to divert water into Lake Albert, he was contacted by irrigators in the Riverina who were concerned about their livelihoods.

Cr Yvonne Braid said she supported the sentiment behind the petition.

"The main thing we should be doing at the moment is fixing Lake Albert," she said.

"It takes a lot of money out of Wagga to lose events as people also use hotels."

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