New Lake Albert algae treatment set to be administered in days

On Friday, Wagga City Council announced it would begin work immediately with Waterzyme to prepare Lake Albert for the treatment of blue green algae.

A council spokesperson said the first step would be the removal of the existing sonar platforms - set to take place prior to the application of the new treatment during the first week in January.

The decision is a quick turnaround after councillors voted to postpone the treatment earlier this month.

The 121-hectare Lake Albert has been a significant recreational, economic, and environmental asset to the city for more than a century, however it suffers recurring periods of drying out and blue green algae outbreaks, significantly limiting its use.

The lake is currently on amber alert level for blue green algae. Amber level means there are no restrictions on the lake but increased water sampling is bein undertaken to assess potential risks.

As part of the council's work to mitigate these ongoing issues, it was recently successful in obtaining a 1.8 gigalitre specific purpose water licence for the state government to support the lake volume.

The pipeline to supply the water from the Murrumbidgee River to the lake is still in design, with funding being pursued to bring the project to fruition.

In the meantime, the council's staff have been reviewing several emerging products which act as a preventative and or treatment of blue green algae, including Waterzyme.

This week, the council announced it has committed to a trial treatment of Waterzyme at Lake Albert, however it will only be for this summer and is must be undertaken "as soon as possible".

The emerging treatment, Waterzyme, has been developed by a partnership between a Mildura-based innovator and the University of Newcastle.

When added to water, its natural components bind to the blue green algae (cyanobacteria), causing it to clump and sink to the bottom of the water within just days, starving the bacteria of light and leads to its destruction.

Waterzyme advises the product does not act on beneficial organisms in this way - its enzymes are selective and only act on blue green algae.

"It is suitable for commercial or residential use, is 100 per cent natural, free from harmful toxins, and won't harm aquatic life," the Council spokesperson said.

Council documents noted a recent test of the product at the Collingullie treatment ponds has "achieved some positive results" despite the fact that blue green algae counts were more than 10 times the highest ever reading in Lake Albert.

"If the lake doesn't suffer from blue green algae during the trial, then the product may be hailed a success and the council will meet to discuss any further use and how it would be funded into the future," the council spokesperson said.