Strategy for the Snowy Montane Rivers Increased Flows 2014-15

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Strategy for the Snowy Montane Rivers Increased Flows 2014-15 SNOWY RIVER RECOVERY: SNOWY FLOW RESPONSE MONITORING AND MODELLING PROGRAM Strategy for the Snowy Montane Rivers Increased Flows 2014-15 The Snowy Initiative is an agreement for water for environmental releases to be made, known recovery and environmental flows between the as the Snowy Montane Rivers Increased Flows NSW, Victorian and Australian Governments, (SMRIF). This value of 150 GWHrs is converted and is set out in the Snowy Water Inquiry into a volumetric allocation, but the conversion Outcomes Implementation Deed 2002 (SWIOID factor differs depending on the location of the 2002). The initiative provides three main releases in the Snowy Mountains Scheme. In environmental water programs as part of some locations water released can be re-used to rebalancing the impacts of the Snowy Hydro generate electricity so a smaller conversion Scheme on montane rivers. These three factor is applied (Table 1). programs are increased flows for: (i) Snowy River, (ii) Murray River, and (iii) Snowy Montane Table 1. Snowy Montane Rivers annual targets and the conversion factor of lost energy generation to Rivers (Figure 1). Five Snowy Montane Rivers water allocation. are identified to receive environmental SWIOID (Figure 1; Table 1). Snowy Montane Rivers Annual Conversion Increased Flows Target factor Figure 1. Location of the Snowy Montane River (GL) release points (indicated by green icons). Murrumbidgee River @ 27 1.94 Tantangara LAKE BURRINJUCK Goodradigbee River* 12 1.94 Geehi 12 1.85 Murrumbidgee Catchment New SouthSnowy Wales River- Island Bend 25 0.71 Snowy River- Perisher Range# 30 0.57 A.C.T GoodradigbeeRiver The water availability for SMRIFs is linked to the water availability for environmental flows to the Snowy River, which is determined by the water TANTANGARA DAM recovery in the western rivers and the climatic Murray River conditions. M u r r a y Murrumbidgee River C a t c h m e n t The Snowy Montane Rivers Strategy differs from KHANCOBAN DAM LAKE EUCUMBENE Geehi River that for the Snowy River below Jindabyne, in Swampy Plains R. ISLAND BEND DAM GEEHI RESERVOIR LAKE JINDABYNE that the release points are typically weirs Snowy R. GUTHEGA DAM " Jindabyne (Figure 2) with the exception of the " Dalgety Murrumbidgee River at Tantangara Dam, and have limited capacity to actively manage Snowy River Catchment releases. Typically the releases reflect the catchment inflows to the weir pool as it is not Snowy (SRIF) Snowy Montane (SMRIF)" & Bombala practical to prescribe a daily flow target. Murray (MRIFs) River Increased Flows. " Delegate Accordingly, the Snowy Montane Rivers The SWIOID 2002 providesSnowy River for Snowy Hydro Increased Flows program sets annual, rather Limited (SHL) to forego up to 150 Giga Watt than daily flow targets for these weirs. hours (GWHrs) of electricity generation to allow V i c t o r i a Orbost " Small Impoundage " Town N.S.W. ¹ Stream 0 5 10 20 30 40 " SYDNEY Waterbody Kilometres VIC Catchment State Border Strategy for the Snowy Montane Rivers Increased Flows 2014-15 Additionally, as the SMRIF program is Table 2. Snowy Montane Rivers Increased Flows, SWIOID Target, Adjusted Target, and 2014-15 implemented, two key aspects are being annual target. considered: (i) maximising environmental SWIOID Average 2014-15 outcomes and (ii) minimising changes to the Snowy Montane Annual Annual Annual Rivers Increased existing SHL infrastructure (i.e. to allow water to Target Yield Volume Flows pass downstream). Since the Snowy Water (GL) (GL) (GL) Murrumbidgee River Inquiry, further work to implement the program 27 27 18.4 has provided new information such as @ Tantangara reductions water yields in the high country. Goodradigbee River* 12 12 12 Therefore, implementation of the SMRIF has Geehi 12 17.5 17.5 Snowy River- Island been staged to ensure that environmental 25 18.9 18.9 outcomes can be maximised. Bend Snowy River- 30 Figure 2. SMRIFs to the Geehi River are delivered Perisher Range# via Middle Creek Weir. Water is released by over topping the weir (Source S. Williams). # Note: The management options for the Perisher Range still requires further analysis in order to be implemented. 2014-15 SMRIFs strategy - Snowy Weirs In the existing Snowy Montane Rivers the releases occur via weirs, and a long term average annual yield is targeted (Table 1). This means that over the long term the annual volume will average the nominated target. The flow will typically reflect the hydrology of the inflows. In wetter years the flow will exceed the long term target and in drier years the annual volume will be less than the target. This fact sheet describes the 2014/15 SMRIF To achieve the long-term target each weir has program and the intended environmental been modified to either (i) allow all water to benefits. pass downstream (i.e. ‘transparent releases’) or (ii) in the case of the Goodradigbee River, allow Key aspects of the 2014-15 SMRIFs a proportion of the daily inflows to be released strategy (i.e. `translucent’ release). It is anticipated that the hydrological characteristics will reflect the Four of the five locations identified in the hydrology of a Snowy montane river. SMRIFs program are currently receiving environmental water (Table 1). Only the Upper Snowy, in the Perisher Range remains to be Ecological outcomes implemented. This will require some additional The Snowy Water Inquiry Outcomes technical analysis and minor infrastructure Implementation Deed 2002 sets a series of upgrades before the site(s) in this location can ecological objectives for the Snowy Montane receive environmental water. Rivers. The SWIOID 2002 defines these broad Table 2 outlines the 2014-15 annual targets for objectives as follows: the Snowy Montane Rivers. To protect endangered/ threatened species To maintain natural habitats To maintain wilderness and national parks values. The SWIOD 2002 also requires these objectives to be further defined. For the Snowy Montane 2 NSW Office of Water, July 2014 Strategy for the Snowy Montane Rivers Increased Flows 2014-15 Rivers, it is envisaged that the following Figure 3. The Murrumbidgee River above Tantangara Dam, was used as the hydrological ecological benefits will be realised by the surrogate to develop the 2014-15 release strategy releases: (Source: S. Williams). Provision of substantially increased wetted in-stream habitat, and the river channel better reflecting the natural hydraulic characteristics of a montane river. A thermal regime that better reflects a montane river. Regular scour of the river substrate. Improved hydrological and ecological connectivity along the water source. o Downstream provision of dissolved In 2014-15 the full allocation of 27GL (i.e. 30% organic carbon, and dissolved silica. of the Mean Annual Flow) is not available for release, given the drier conditions in the o Downstream provision of river bed western rivers. Instead, an annual target of 18.4 sediment. GL was available for the Upper Murrumbidgee o Downstream provision of plant River below Tantangara Dam (Figure 4) in prologues. 2014-15. o Downstream drift of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Figure 4. Tantangara Dam on the Murrumbidgee River essentially acts as a large diversion weir and Reduction in the ingress of terrestrial diverts water to the Eucumbene Dam for electricity vegetation in the channel, such as tea-tree. production (Source: S. Williams). The ecological communities (i.e. benthic bacteria, periphyton, bugs, aquatic plants and fish) reflecting those of a Snowy Montane River. 2014-15 SMRIFs strategy- Murrumbidgee River below Tantangara Dam Releases to the Murrumbidgee River are made from Tantangara dam, a much larger structure than the other release points, for which a gated The proposed daily flow pattern (Figure 5) release structure is available. Accordingly, the attempts to include the key hydrological signals 2014-15 daily flow release strategy for the typical of a smaller mixed snowmelt - rainfall Murrumbidgee River differs from the other river system characteristic of the northern release points. Snowy Mountains consistent with the volume The ‘flow scaling’ approach used to set releases available and the dam outlet capability. to the Snowy River has also been applied to the The natural flow pattern of the Upper Murrumbidgee River. This approach uses the Murrumbidgee River varies from that of the recorded flows in a nearby natural catchment Snowy River, as there are strong climatic (in a year where similar volumes of flow gradients across the Snowy Mountains. occurred) to set daily releases. For releases to Typically, the Upper Murrumbidgee River the Murrumbidgee River from Tantangara dam, catchment is lower in elevation than the Snowy the initial daily flow targets for 2014-15 were River Catchment and has substantially less set using the 1990-2000 flow sequence for the catchment area above the snow line. Thus, the Murrumbidgee River above Tantangara (Fig 3). snow melt signal is not as pronounced as the Snowy River. 3 NSW Office of Water, July 2014 Strategy for the Snowy Montane Rivers Increased Flows 2014-15 In a moderate allocation period, the 2014-15 Figure 6. Total monthly discharge in the Murrumbidgee River below Tantangara Dam for flow strategy attempts to reinstate some of 2014-15. these montane hydrological cues, these include: 4000 A monthly flow pattern that reflects the winter-spring signal and includes four of 3500 these months (i.e. July-October) above 2 GL, 3000 with two months above 3 GL (i.e. August- September) (Figure 5). 2500 Reasonable daily flow variability during the 2000 winter-spring period, in this case with peak discharge above 200 ML/day on four 1500 Discharge (ML) Discharge occasions during winter-spring. 1000 A peak event of 350 ML/day to reflect a 500 summer storm event in the Snowy Mountains. 0 May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr A base flow of 50 ML/day in late spring-early summer.
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