Consequently the Snowy River has now received less than 5% ANF for the last forty years. It is imperative that the three governments honour their legislation; failure to do ensures the death of the once mighty Snowy River.
|
1967 |
The Snowy Hydro Scheme captures 99% of the Snowy River’s headwaters upon completion of the Jindabyne Dam |
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1996 |
Snowy River Alliance forms. The Expert Panel Environmental Flow Assessment of the Snowy River Below Jindabyne recommends 28% annual natural flow (ANF)as the minimum environmental flow needed for the Snowy below Jindabyne Dam. **This scientific research was amongst the first in the world to quantify how much flow a river needs for itself, if it is to maintain ecological health. This is the water described as an ‘environmental flow’. |
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1999 |
Steve Bracks wins government in Victoria with a promise to the newly elected Member for Gippsland East, Craig Ingram, that the Bracks Government will restore 28% to the Snowy River.
|
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2002 |
Snowy Hydro is corporatised, with legislation committing the three shareholder governments of NSW, Victoria and the Commonwealth to funding the restoration of 21% of annual natural flow to the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam, 70 Gigalitres to the Murray and increased flows to the Snowy montane rivers equivalent to 150GWh foregone electricity generation (118GL). This is to be achieved by 2012, primarily through investment in water savings infrastructure in the Murray irrigation system to offset the Snowy environmental flows. |
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2007 |
Commonwealth Governments contributes an additional $50million to Water for Rivers to meet the 2012 Snowy Increased Flow target of 21% ANF.
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The legislated environmental flow targets for the Snowy River are:
NB: 1 Gigalitre = 1 billion litres= 1,000 megalitres.
|
Year |
Total releases GL |
Percentage of ANF (1164GL) |
| 2002/03 | 19.7 | 1.7 |
| 2003/04 | 38.7 | 3.3 |
| 2004/05 | 32.5 | 2.8 |
| 2005/06 | 50 | 4.3 |
| 2006/07 | 45.7 | 3.9 |
| 2007/08 | 41.1 | 3.5 |
| 2008/09 | 47.1 | 4.04 |
| 2009/10 | Planned Releases 46.7 GL | 4.01 |
Note that to reach 2009 target of 15% in real terms, an extra 4.8% (56 gigalitres) must also be paid back to Snowy Hydro Ltd for water that flowed down the Mowamba River from the time the Mowamba Aqueduct was de-commissioned in August 2002 to January 30 2006.
When Mowamba Aqueduct was de-commissioned (i.e. shut off) to return the first environmental flows to the Snowy on August 28 2002, it was the understanding of the Snowy communities and the wider Australian public that the Aqueduct would remain permanently decommissioned. However, on January 30 2006, Snowy Hydro Ltd re-opened Mowamba Aqueduct, diverting the waters of the Mowamba River, a tributary of the Snowy, back into the Jindabyne Dam and effectively cutting the Snowy off from anything resembling natural headwaters.
Under Section 57 of the NSW Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Act (which came into effect on June 28, 2002), the Snowy Scientific Committee was to be established to advise the NSW Water Administration Ministerial Corporation on environmental flows for the Snowy River and other rivers and streams in the Snowy Scheme. It was also to undertake research and produce annual public reports. These annual State of the Environment Reports were also to be available to inform public submissions to the first Five-Year Review of the Snowy Water Licence. However the NSW Government delayed the establishment of the Snowy Scientific Committee until 31st January 2008, the same day as the closing date for submissions to the Five Year Review. The Snowy Scientific Committee’s first report, Adequacy of Environmental Releases to the Snowy River, October 2008, was finally released by NSW DWE in March 2009. The report findings are a damning indictment of progress so far on the restoration of the Snowy River.
In June 2007, the first Five-Year-Review of the Snowy Water Licence was due. This review was supposed to assess the success or otherwise of the provisions for increased flows for the Snowy River. However the NSW Government specifically excluded the adequacy of flows from the terms of reference of the Review. Contrary to the legislation, there were also no Snowy Scientific Committee State of the Environment reports exhibited because the Committee had not been established. The Five Year Review was supposed to be completed within six months of the fifth anniversary of corporatisation i.e. December 2007. However the NSW Government did not announce the Review until December 2007. Many submissions to the Review advocated the decommissioning of Mowamba Aqueduct to restore the Mowamba River as surrogate natural headwaters to the Snowy. According to the Snowy Hydro Corporatisation legislation the Licence could be amended in this regard following the first review and compensation would not be owed to Snowy Hydro Ltd. The NSW Government continues to oppose the decommissioning of Mowamba Aqueduct despite the weight of scientific evidence and community support. As of 1st June 2009 the final draft Report of the Review has still not been publicly released.
Water for Rivers, the authority funded to obtain the water savings, has faced a tripling of costs since its establishment due to increased competition from other government funded water recovery programs. Savings from one of its water infrastructure projects are also to be diverted to Melbourne via the north-south pipeline.
A number of Water for Rivers water savings projects and entitlement purchases have been general security or low reliability water, which have delivered NO real water to the Snowy. Consequently, by 2012 $425 million of taxpayers’ money will have been spent to return approximately 142 GL water to the Snowy. The Snowy and Murray may never receive any of the remaining 140GL owed. Water for Rivers urgently requires major increased funding to deliver the legislated increased flows, as real water not paper water.
Note: The Commonwealth Water Act 2008 did not include any increased funding for the Snowy, nor a commitment to fund the full 28% minimum environmental flow.