Just to add to the brief story (here) in The Age this morning, here are some photos kindly sent to me by the NSW Office of Water of yesterday’s opening of the spillway at Jindabyne Dam. Up to 12 gigs were released from the dam yesterday, with similar amounts today and tomorrow also being sent down the Snowy. The flow will start to taper off over the coming week.
All up 84 gigalitres will be flushed down the Snowy over 19 days (the program started last week) the largest amount since the Snowy hydro scheme was built. It has been timed to mimic the spring melt of snow from the Alpine region and will flush out hardened sediment (mud and silt) that has built up along the river bed, along with weeds and algae.
Under an agreement between the NSW, Victoria and federal Government water entitlements have been recovered for the river over recent years, but the drought had seen very little allocation to those entitlements, meaning little actual water down the Snowy.
That all changed last year with the rain, which has resulted in the massive environmental water release this year. The wet conditions i9n 2011 is also expected to produce a major environmental flow next year.
All up 84 gigalitres will be flushed down the Snowy over 19 days (the program started last week) the largest amount since the Snowy hydro scheme was built. It has been timed to mimic the spring melt of snow from the Alpine region and will flush out hardened sediment (mud and silt) that has built up along the river bed, along with weeds and algae.
Under an agreement between the NSW, Victoria and federal Government water entitlements have been recovered for the river over recent years, but the drought had seen very little allocation to those entitlements, meaning little actual water down the Snowy.
That all changed last year with the rain, which has resulted in the massive environmental water release this year. The wet conditions i9n 2011 is also expected to produce a major environmental flow next year.
Photo by Tim Haeusler, NSW Office of Water
Photo by Simon Williams, NSW Office of WaterPhoto by Simon Williams, NSW Office of Water
Photo by Simon Williams, NSW Office of Water
Photo by Sion Williams, NSW Office of Water
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