Recommendations

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The Snowy River Alliance recommends:

River restoration

• That at least the Snowy River Expert Panel Report recommendations of a 28 per cent of the original flow be adopted to restore the Snowy River.
  
• That the recommendations be trialed and if required the flow regime be modified to meet the community expectations.
  
• That necessary works be carried out to remove in-stream vegetation, to encourage initial channel formation and to improve fish passage.
  
• That a fish monitoring and re-stocking program be included as part of the rehabilitation strategy.
  
• That sewerage effluents are not disposed into the Snowy River and Wullwye Creek.
  

Snowy Water Inquiry

• That the Snowy Water Inquiry work closely with the Snowy River communities to ensure that the costed options are relevant to their expectations and goals for the future of the river.

Water Licence Agreement

• That the Water Licence Agreement allow for adaptive management,
  
• That the Agreement includes a water allocation to meet the needs of the Snowy River rural community.
  
• That the Agreement triggers an obligation for the governments in control at the first five year review to increase the flows if the scientific panel recommends that the initial water release arrangements are inadequate or have not met the goals set down by the Snowy Water Inquiry.
  

Future management

• That a Snowy River Commission be formed with community representation from both the New South Wales and Victorian catchments. The Commission would have the direct responsibility of managing the river in both States, and the powers to administer a budget. The Snowy River Commission budget would consist of in perpetuity contributions related to megalitre water transfer, payable by Snowy Hydro and all other users of transferred water. The budget would need to be sufficient to manage such things as river works, vegetation and erosion control, fish restocking programs, improving fish passage and so on.