The council is expected to officially sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ms Pavey during her visit to Wagga this morning.

The council has spent the past two months working with government bureaucrats on a proposed solution for Lake Albert's long-term water issues.

Low water levels at the lake have caused blue-green algae blooms over the past few years and damaged the city's economy via the loss of the Barry Carne Interstate Challenge major water-skiing event.

Ms Pavey said the MOU would provide an interim licensing arrangement that will allow the council to top up Lake Albert with up to 1800 megalitres of water a year from the Murrumbidgee River.

"Wagga City Council now has the water to ensure that locals passionate about using the lake will not be left high and dry again" she said.

Wagga mayor Greg Conkey said the MOU was "a significant achievement in a long process to solve Lake Albert's water issues".

In other news

The council had originally sought a licence to use up to 2000 megalitres per year for the lake in exchange for 5000 megalitres per year of treated effluent that was already being returned to the river.

In addition to a 10 per cent cut to the water it had originally sought, the council appears to have made other compromises in response to downstream irrigation users.

"Wagga council ... will not be able to take any of that water during the peak irrigation period of October to March," Ms Pavey said.

The deadline for a draft deal had been the end of February but the process was delayed multiple times by disagreements between the council and the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

Wagga-based Nationals MLC Wes Fang said the MOU would give the council the "confidence to start work on its pipeline which is needed to actually deliver this water to Lake Albert".

"When full, the lake stores around four gigalitres, but over the last few decades unsustainably low water levels in the lake have become more common," he said.

"During these low levels, the community loses access to a key recreational asset. This is a huge win for the City of Wagga and corrects an issue that's existed for more than half a century."

Wagga MP Joe McGirr said: "Lake Albert is an icon in our community. It is great to see the government working with Wagga Wagga City Council on a solution to the decades-long problem of ensuring a water supply to the lake."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: