Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water (GWMW) says it will continue talks with the Hindmarsh and West Wimmera shires about managing blue-green algae outbreaks.

The two shires have refused to take on the position nominated by the water authority, saying costs for sampling and signage are too high for local councils to bear.

But GWMW’s Stephen Jewell says councils are the best placed bodies to manage outbreaks because of the potential risk to public safety.

He says sampling only costs several hundred dollars, not up to $90,000 as suggested by the Hindmarsh Shire Council.

“We’re not convinced there hasn’t been misunderstanding on what the role entails including time, money and responsibility,” Mr Jewell said.

“It’s not particularly onerous in terms of all three of those, if you look at the number of outbreaks we’ve had in recent years – very, very few and relatively minor.”