Snowy Flow Response Monitoring and Modelling program

The Snowy Flow Response Monitoring and Modelling program is made up of five parts. These are:

Measuring long term changes in environmental variables

We assess changes in key variables over time against a reference condition or if there is no suitable reference condition, using a time series analysis. We monitor key river attributes including river discharge, geomorphology, water quality, plants, water bugs and fish and assess these for changes.

Targeted research to address specific management objectives / actions

We complete research over 1-5 year periods to answer specific water management questions. These questions may be about short term responses to specific parts of the release strategy, like spring high flows, or long term strategic directions like 'defining the role of unregulated tributaries in providing ecosystem services to regulated Snowy Montane Rivers'.

Developing models to assist with making decisions

We develop models that can help inform decisions about environmental water management. Hydrological, hydraulic and ecological models can help by increasing the predictive power of environmental data, informing analysis of options, and communicating findings.

Reporting and evaluation

We report to the public, government and the scientific community on the outcomes of the Increased Flows. We also help evaluate the effectiveness of water management strategies.

Adaptive management of environmental water releases

We provide scientific and technical support for the adaptive management of the Increased Flows. As part of this, we establish long-term objectives, ecological end-points and long term river recovery strategies.

We seek to extend our understanding of environmental water delivery to Snowy montane rivers by experimenting with water release strategies. And we co-ordinate water committees in the Snowy Mountains.