The Canberra Times recently reported that the water in Lake Burley Griffin is slightly improving - but the data failed to change many member's of the public's strong stance that they won't be jumping in any time soon.
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According to the National Capital Authority, which manages the lake, if fewer people had gym memberships they might give it a try.
But a Canberra water scientist thinks it has more to do with the lingering foul smells, murky appearance and pollution.
And unfortunately for the people who are turned off for those very reasons - he believes it will take at least a decade until they are fixed, despite state and federal government efforts to clean up the lake.
The federal government has set aside $76 million for projects such as wetlands, ponds and "swales" that contain vegetation to treat stormwater before it enters a pond.
Meanwhile the ACT government announced $8.5 million towards building more wetlands in the region, and $11 million for a new water system for Lake Burley Griffin.
But Director of the University of Canberra's Institute for Applied Ecology, Professor Ross Thompson, said there were quicker ways to fix the problem.
"The reality is the whole process of fixing up the lake will be challenging but achievable, Professor Thomson said.
"Because the water quality issues we are seeing now are a consequence of about 100 years of nutrients input, and so in terms of fixing those problems with how we're going, the scale is probably a decade."
While the lake has seen a drop in blue-green algae blooms in recent years, the smelly and murky result of excess nitrogen levels could still clog water intakes, block light to deeper waters and kill fish.
It is also not the most appealing sight for potential swimmers.
But the National Capital Authority has rejected other solutions, Professor Thomson said.
"We've been in discussions with the NCA about fluctuating the lake's level up and down by a large amount. That's a good option, because it sort of turbocharges the process of getting rid of nitrogen," he said.
"But the NCA has said the problem of that is that it is unsightly because you end up with a bathtub ring."
Pollution is a big deterrent for potential swimmers in Canberra's lakes, with a 2016 snapshot of Canberra's environment showing Canberra's waterways were the "dirtiest in the country".
In a further desperate effort to prevent people from dirtying the lake, the ACT government recently launched an education program to teach people what can and can't flow down drains.
But Clean Up Australia president Ian Kiernan said Canberrans remained extremely concerned about their polluted waterways, even if they didn't know they were contributing to the problem.
Lakes and waterways were chosen as key focus areas for the 2017 Clean Up Day for the second year in a row.
"This is the second year in a row Canberrans have indicated cleaning their waterways is a huge priority," Mr Kiernan said.
"People need to understand that if you drop a piece of rubbish it is likely to end up in the catchment which runs into the lakes."
