Earlier this week, Wagga City Council issued an alert telling residents to stay out of the lake's waters and to keep their pets away or risk serious harm.

Moorong Veterinary Clinic vet John Coles said pet owners, in particular those with dogs, should take the threat seriously as the algae can be toxic and even fatal.

"Dogs have been known to die from it," Mr Coles said.

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However, for that to happen, the vet said there would have to be a "fairly high concentration of algae" and the animal would have to drink a high enough quantity of infected water.

"If dogs go into water, they are more likely to drink it [compared to humans] because that's what they do, and they probably don't mind the taste of water that's [gone off]," Mr Coles said.

"So there's a propensity they will ingest the bacteria and the algae."

In contrast to dogs, Mr Coles said cats were less likely to drink the lake's waters and get sick due to their more cautious nature.

"We don't often see poisoning in cats because they are much more picky and choosy in what they eat," he said.

Mr Coles said cyanobacteria was the real problem and where the threat lies, not the algae. "The algae is a peripheral thing. Within and around the algae are cyanobacteria, which is the dangerous stuff," he said.

Mr Coles said a build-up of blue green algae in any water was "generally indicative of the quality and health of the water".

The council's relieving manager of environment and regulatory services, Sharomi Dayanand, said blue-green algal blooms remain a threat and warned the community to avoid all contact with water from the lake.

"Similar to past summers, a combination of warm weather and an influx of nutrients from the catchment have resulted in an increase in blue-green algae blooms," Ms Dayanand said.

The council is monitoring the situation, with updates to be provided online at wagga.nsw.gov.au/lakealbert

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