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The Forum > Article Comments > Snowy Hydro tops up floods with environmental flow > Comments

Snowy Hydro tops up floods with environmental flow : Comments

By Jennifer Marohasy, published 1/2/2011

What is it with water bureaucrats that they follow the book, even if it means flooding downstream communities?

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Your Article is an amazing revelation of incompetence that people of such low IQ can be found operating the Snowy is simply amazing . Perhaps they don't know that Snowy water runs into the Murray ?
I appeal to you to "Name and Shame" all the Goons involved .
You must be one of the last "Real" Journalists left.
Posted by Garum Masala, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 9:00:10 AM
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If the licences are

Wrong, change them. Until then they must

Be honoured, by law
Posted by Shintaro, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 9:16:55 AM
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I can almost sympathise with the public servants that they are being forced into doing something totally daft. You will probably find that the agreement was set up during drought conditions under the assumption that low water flows would be the norm. Of course, the assumption was wrong, but the original agreements probably don't allow for the public servants to use discretion so they don't. Of course, there should be someone senior enough and with personality enough to elect to ignore the agremeement. No judge would ever hold it against them. But the public service is seldom set up like that..
Posted by Curmudgeon, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 10:03:33 AM
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This is utterly astounding. In so many instances we see a rigid belief in global warming leading to arbitrary policies which lead to adverse outcomes, but which are then often pointed to by environmentalists as evidence of global warming.
Posted by dozer, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 10:56:05 AM
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This, of course, is unbelievable. However, no doubt, these fools will be releasing water from Burrunjuck as well. It will still take much time for the world to move on this global warming alarmism.
Posted by Sniggid, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 11:36:42 AM
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When did they let water out?

How long before it gets down stream?

Days, weeks, months?

It may take 5 months before it gets from the Snowies to the outlet.

Will it add to the existing flood situation? Doubt it.

All dam levels and are readily available on the internet for instance Blowering is now at 96%.

They did let water out a recently from Blowering for a day or so, perhaps people down stream needed to drink and flush their toilets.

Now think of another problem can they let the dams remain full over winter?

Blowering can go from less than 10% full to over 80% with normal rainfalls and snow melt.

If they do not let water out the Murray could again be flooded.
Posted by PeterA, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 1:05:04 PM
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Why let water out of Lake Eucumbene, which is nearly empty, and is at the top of the snowy scheme?

So any water released from Lake Eucumbene may not flow out into the river system anyway as there are many other dams situated below before it does.

The water released into the rivers is from the lowest dams Blowering on the Murrumbidgee and Khancoban Pondage on the Murray.

If these dams are full and all the dams above are full then it does not leave space for any more, - please do not rain!!

The question is are they to remain full or released, and as it takes weeks to flow down stream will it cause a problem after the existing floods have subsided?

The Snowy system may have an obligation to generate electricity as they can be used for emergency, peak lopping, replacement for other generators that have to be taken of line and base load.
Posted by PeterA, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 3:40:48 PM
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Peter A, are you suggesting that we should flood peoples farms & homes, just so Melbourne doesn't have a blackout?

You've got to be kidding.
Posted by Hasbeen, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 4:47:39 PM
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Hasbeen

You did not read my comment at all, just cherry picked a 'may have' - get real.

I was putting some background information only and not suggesting anything.

If you had read it probably I was asking questions.

Indecently the hydro supplies you as well, and I do not care about Melbourne as I live in a different state.

This OP was written last year (November?) and not anything to do with the recent floods.

In that case did the release cause any problems?

I believe the lower dams, that take the Lakes water, were not full until this year and none may have been released into the rivers at all.
Posted by PeterA, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 7:55:15 PM
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Of course, without the

Scheme water would flow in Nature's

Direction (or not)
Posted by Shintaro, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 8:07:42 PM
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Peter it would appear that it is you who are unable to read, or understand what you have read.

Yes it did augment the flood in the river, just as you would expect from our bureaucracy.

It is about time we made public servants responsible at law, for any injury caused to members of the public by their incompetence. Yes we may require some larger prisons, but just think how many idiots we could get off the public payroll.
Posted by Hasbeen, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 8:56:11 PM
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in Nature's Direction (or not),
Shintaro,
just consider which direction you would be headed if we left it to nature ?
Posted by individual, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 9:33:12 PM
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This Thursday evening watch the ABC TV 7.30 Report for more information on this story.

And water is still being released from Lake Eucumbene which remains at less than 30 % full. Lake Eucumbene is central to the Snowy Scheme and could be taking the flood waters and holding them for future years. Lake Eucumbene has the capacity to hold about 9 Sydney Harbours.
Posted by Jennifer, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 10:46:38 PM
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individual

My "direction" is entirely

Guided by Nature

Ah, Enlightenment!

After which, chop wood and carry

Water like before
Posted by Shintaro, Tuesday, 1 February 2011 11:18:43 PM
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Hasbeen

Work out how many dams and generating plants the water from the lake has to go through.

And were they passing the water through?

Then assuming they are all letting the water pass then work out how long it will get to Wagga.

Days or weeks?

Hint multiply the river length by three times the direct distance.

When was the release at peak of floods or days before or after and would it have any effect?

Also do some research on an integrated power and distribution system as turning on your kettle could cause the hydro to start operating.

Jennifer

If they are letting the water out perhaps it is being stored in Blowering as that is where most of the water is kept for irrigation purposes. It may not be flowing into the river system at all.

It appears the water levels are on the increase were 28% on the 1st Jan and now close to 30%.
Posted by PeterA, Wednesday, 2 February 2011 5:38:51 AM
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chop wood,
Shintaro,
Aren't you supposed to hug trees instead of chopping them down. Brown Bobby the Green won't be too pleased with you.
Posted by individual, Wednesday, 2 February 2011 5:40:13 AM
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Because of a blind adherence to a licence that was reworked in the deepest part of the drought, our water authorities have broken the basic rule of water conservation in the Murrumbidgee and Murray river systems.
That rule is very simply: we store and conserve water in times of excess so that we can wisely manage water in the inevitable times of shortage.
What did these people do?
They let water out of Eucumbene on top of a total of three floods, into dams that could not store it, down rivers that were already flooded, through environmental assets that didn't need it and ultimately out the Murray Mouth which was already spewing tens of thousands of mega litres of fresh water every single day.
Can any one see a modicum of common sense in that?
Don't forget that it had been happening for weeks and the average release was between 4000 to 5000 ML per day.
By the way. They are still doing it on the Murray side of the system.
What a senseless waste of an important resource.
Even if it was only 10 ML per day, it is still senselessly wasting water.
It seems that it is actually governments and their stupid infexible rules that are the real wasters of water. You would never catch irrigation farmers and irrigation companies wasting water like this.
Posted by chameleon, Wednesday, 2 February 2011 8:23:25 AM
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Unbelievable. And good on you, Jennifer, for writing it all up, and for your persistence. I'll make a note to watch the '7.30 Report' tonight.

Your question needs to be raised in parliament. In that way, there is an obligation for an official answer to be given.
Posted by byork, Thursday, 3 February 2011 1:50:21 PM
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