In recent years, a lake south of Edmonton has seen blue-green algae come back every summer – sometimes severely – but so far this year, an advisory has not been issued for it.

As of Tuesday, there are more than 20 blue-green algae advisories in effect for bodies of water throughout Alberta, but for the first time in a while, Pigeon Lake is not on that list, and people who spend a lot of time there are relishing it.

“It’s crystal clear, you can see the bottom,” Karen Zutter, whose family has a cabin at the lake, said.

“I can see every fish, every minnow. I have not been able to do that for a few years.”

Due to the toxic algae blooms, the lake has essentially been off limits – Zutter likened the algae to an unwanted blanket.

“You couldn’t let the dogs out, and having three labs, it was so frustrating,” Zutter said.

When a blue-green algae advisory is in place, Alberta Health Services warns people not to drink water, swim, or even wade in the water, for both humans and their pets. The algae produces a toxin that can cause serious illness.

“Last year, in August, this lake was basically uninhabitable, residents were leaving their homes because the smell was so bad, the beaches had 10 to 20 feet of algae, one to two feet thick, so last year is when it really came to a head,” Ian Rawlinson with the Pigeon Lake Renewal League said.

In an effort to deal with the issue, residents worked together to create the Pigeon Lake Renewal League – visitors had essentially stopped coming, and businesses were taking a hit.

The league asked homeowners to take a number of steps, including re-landscaping, to refrain from using fertilizers and to try and stop run off.

“The science tells us that as the rain comes down it washes all the pollutants that are out here in the cottages and everything else into the lake, the pollutants contain phosphorus, that’s what breeds the algae,” Rawlinson said.

Plus, residents cleaned the shoreline; Rawlinson said 21 gravel truck loads of algae were taken off of two kilometres of beach in the spring.

While the results are already showing, it is just the start, Rawlinson said, there is still more to do.

“I still think there’s much more to do, we’ve by no means fixed the lake, there’s a lot more to do,” Rawlinson said.

Residents are aware that an advisory could still be issued – they’re hopeful the work will pay off in the long term.

CTV News reached out to Alberta Environment for comment, a spokesperson issued a statement in response, saying officials “recognize that harmful algal blooms are a concern for Albertans overall. We are actively working with community partners in the management strategies to address the blue-green algae problems in many of our north-central lakes.

“Under the Province’s Healthy Lakes Strategy, we are working with our partners towards developing an informed lake management policy to address the diverse challenges of our province’s lakes.

“There are a number of grassroots-levels practices that Albertans can adopt to help reduce harmful algal blooms including maintaining natural vegetation in yards and on the lakeshore and preventing exposed soil or any disturbance to the shoreline.”

With files from Susan Amerongen