Snowy science

Hydrology/Hydraulics

• Scaling environmental flow releases in the Snowy River to unregulated snowmelt rivers of the Snowy Mountains PDF, 1681.3 KB
  This report is the rationale for the hydro-scaling environmental water releases to the Snowy River (stage 4).
• Hydrological changes attributed to environmental flow release to the Snowy River, 2002-2005 PDF, 1120.69 KB
  This report documents the hydrological changes to the Snowy River from environmental water releases from the Mowamba River (Stage 1).
• Field manual for identifying and mapping channel units in the Snowy River PDF, 1818.79 KB
  This report is documents the field methods for mapping hydraulic changes to in-stream habitats.
• Hydraulic modelling to estimate threshold discharges for sediment entrainment in the Snowy River, Australia PDF, 1770.77 KB
  This report estimates the discharge needed to move sediment in the Snowy River below Jindabyne (Stage 1).
• Physical response to the spring 2011 environmental flow release to the Snowy River estuary PDF, 1521.8 KB
  This report assesses the physical and salinity changes in the Snowy River estuary following the 2011 flood (Stage 3).

Water quality

• Water quality in the Snowy River before and after the first environmental flow regime PDF, 1266.85 KB
  This report assesses water quality changes in the Snowy River following environmental water releases from the Mowamba River (Stage 1).
• Contribution of unregulated tributaries to the ecological functioning of the main channel of rivers PDF, 942.24 KB
  Literature review of the possible benefits of unregulated tributary flows to regulated rivers (Stage 4).
• Assessment of thermal pollution in the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam PDF, 628.27 KB
  This report assesses the impact of Jindabyne Dam on the thermal regime of the downstream Snowy River between 2011 and 2013. The report covers a period of enhanced environmental flows using improved infrastructure

Macroinvertebrates

• Impact of the 2002-03 wildfires on the macroinvertebrate assemblages of the Snowy River catchment PDF, 1778.07 KB
  This report assesses the impact of wild fires on the macro invertebrate fauna of the Snowy River (Stage 1).
• Representativeness and efficiency of a laboratory sub-sampling method for the Snowy River macroinvertebrate samples PDF, 663.3 KB
  This report assesses the laboratory method.
• Response of aquatic macroinvertebrates to the first environmental flow regime in the Snowy River PDF, 1832.62 KB
  This report documents the response of aquatic macroinvertabrates to the environmental water delivered to the Snowy River via the Mowamba Weir, autumn 2000 to autumn 2005 (Stage 1).
• The effect of Mowamba River and Jindabyne Dam environmental flow releases on macroinvertebrate assemblages in the Snowy River 2000-2008 PDF, 621.17 KB
  This report documents the response of aquatic macroinvertabrates to the environmental water delivered to the Snowy River via the Mowamba Weir and Jindabyne Dam (Stage 2).
• Recovery of macroinvertebrate communities after environmental flows to the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam PDF, 1146.29 KB
  This report documents the responses of freshwater invertebrates (macroinvertebrates) communities to environmental flows in the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam.
• Invertebrate responses to environmental flows in the Snowy montane rivers PDF, 1076.43 KB
  This report assesses the response of freshwater invertebrate (macroinvertebrates) communities to environmental flows in the Snowy montane rivers.

Fish

• Changes in fish assemblages after the first flow releases to the Snowy River downstream of Jindabyne Dam PDF, 1922.16 KB
  This study assesses the change in fish assemblages in the Snowy River after the releases from the Mowamba Weir (Stage 1).
• Hydraulic modelling of a fish barrier–Pinch Falls, Snowy River PDF, 2108.89 KB
  This study assesses the suitability of hydraulic modelling techniques to assess a possible causative factor in the decline of Australian Bass in the Snowy River (Stage 3).

Other

• Ecological response to the spring 2010 environmental flow release to the Snowy River below Jindabyne PDF, 601.22 KB
  This report provides a simple assessment of the response to the 2010 spring high flow release of 3,080 ML/day (Stage 3).
• Expert panel environmental flow assessment of various rivers affected by the Snowy Mountains Scheme PDF, 3725.55 KB
  This is a very early expert panel assessment of the impacts of the Snowy Scheme on Montane Rivers.

Snowy River Increased Flows (SRIFs)

• Response to first Snowy EFR – River flow PDF, 3725.55 KB
• Response to first Snowy EFR – Physical and water quality response PDF, 886.64 KB
• Response to first Snowy EFR – Water bugs PDF, 721.85 KB
• Response to first Snowy EFR – Fish (PDF, 589.34 KB)
  This series of fact sheets define the response to the flow releases from Mowamba Weir to the Snowy River, 2002-2005 (Stage 1).
• Proposed flow release strategy for the Snowy River Increased Flows: 2013/14 PDF, 279.84 KB
  This fact sheet describes the 2013-14 release strategy (Stage 4).
• Outcomes of 2013/14 environmental releases for the Snowy River – Reworking the river bed sediment by re-introducing a new spring high flow regime PDF, 338.36 KB
  This fact sheet describes the outcomes of the 2013-14 spring releases (Stage 4).
• Proposed flow release strategy for the Snowy River Increased Flows: 2014/15 PDF, 280.77 KB
  This fact sheet describes the 2014-15 release strategy for SRIF (Stage 4).

Snowy Montane River Increased Flows

• Water quality response to the spring 2009 environmental flow release from Tantangara Dam to the Murrumbidgee River PDF, 219.49 KB
  This fact sheet describes the water quality response to the 2009 spring release to the Murrumbidgee River below Tanatangara.

The role of tributaries

• The potential drift-barrier effect of Mowamba Weir PDF, 1058.28 KB
  This fact sheets define the impact of a small weir on the downstream passage of invertebrates.

Snowy River Increased Flows (SRIFs)

• Environmental water allocations to the Snowy River 2002-10 and constraints to Recovery
  This presentation was presented at the Australian Society for Limnology in 2011 (Stage 3).
• Response to environmental flows in the Snowy River and factors limiting Recovery
  This presentation was presented as a key note address to the Australian Water Association.
• Snowy River and Snowy Montane River Increased Flows
  Implications for environmental water delivery to the Snowy River Estuary.
• Response of periphyton to environmental flows in the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam
• Relating vegetation response to flows using aerial photography and hydraulic modelling, Snowy River
• Functional responses to environmental flows: Linking benthic metabolism and dissolved organic carbon in the Snowy River
• Can tributary flows improve dissolved organic carbon delivery to a regulated snowmelt river?
• Habitat response to a flow release, bushfire and flood in the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam.
  This presentation was presented to the The Australian Society for Limnology Thredbo Conference 30 Nov – 2 Dec 2010.
• Thermal and chemical stratification response to environmental flows in the Snowy River

Snowy Montane River Increased Flows (SMRIFs)

• The impacts of the Snowy Mountains Scheme on the invertebrate assemblages of the Montane Reaches of the Snowy River
  This presentation was presented at the Australian Society for Limnology in 2009 and describes the impact of the Snowy Scheme below Guthega Dam and Island Bend Dams.
• Preliminary results from the spring 2011 flows to the Murrumbidgee and Snowy Rivers
  Presentation to a joint workshop with ACTEW, SHL, NOW and the community in March 2012 (Stage 3).

Brooks A.J., Lancaster J., Downes B.J. and Wolfenden B. (in press) Just add water. Rapid assembly of new communities in previously dry riverbeds, and limited long-distance effects on existing communities. Oecologia

Rose T., Erskine W. & Miners B. (2020). Channel recovery in a regulated river: Effects of an experimental and natural flood in the Snowy River, SE Australia. River Research and Applications 36, 567–579. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3452

Brooks A.J., Wolfenden B., Downes B.J. & Lancaster J. (2018). Barriers to dispersal: The effect of a weir on stream insect drift. River Research and Applications 34, 1244–1253. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3377

Rohlfs A.-M., Williams S., Rees G.N., Lim R.P., Werry L. & Mitrovic S.M. (2018). Experimental dam releases stimulate respiration in an epilithic biofilm community. Hydrobiologia820, 175–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3654-4

Brooks A.J., Wolfenden B., Downes B.J. & Lancaster J. (2017). Do pools impede drift dispersal by stream insects? Freshwater Biology 62, 1578–1586. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12969

Rohlfs A.-M., Mitrovic S.M., Williams S. & Coleman D. (2016a). Can tributary in-flows improve the recovery of the dissolved organic carbon regime in a snowmelt river regulated by a large reservoir? Marine and Freshwater Research 67, 1338. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF14230

Rohlfs A.-M., Mitrovic S.M., Williams S., Hitchcock J.N. & Rees G.N. (2016b). Dissolved organic carbon delivery from managed flow releases in a montane snowmelt river. Aquatic Sciences 78, 793–807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-016-0472-5

McLean E.J. & Hinwood J.B. (2015). Response of the Snowy River Estuary to two environmental flows. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 127, 28. https://doi.org/10.1071/RS15016

Reinfelds I., Swanson E., Cohen T., Larsen J. & Nolan A. (2014). Hydrospatial assessment of streamflow yields and effects of climate change: Snowy Mountains, Australia. Journal of Hydrology 512, 206–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.02.038

Brooks A.J., Russell M., Bevitt R. & Dasey M. (2011). Constraints on the recovery of invertebrate assemblages in a regulated snowmelt river during a tributary-sourced environmental flow regime. Marine and Freshwater Research 62, 1407–1420. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF11128

The animation shows modelled river flows for the spring 2010 environmental flow release to the Snowy River downstream of Dalgety. The animation was derived from hydraulic modelling as part of the Snowy Flow Response Monitoring and Modelling Program.