A bean counter would argue that a megalitre of water released into the Murray-Darling has more economic benefit than the same megalitre in the Snowy River. An ecologist would ask why we import 300,000 immigrants a year if water resources are so stretched. If we are in a drying trend then there would seem to be no easy answer. Note that the southwestern US has also had the driest start to a year since rainfall records began.

The problem is that nobody wants to take the hard options. If the Snowy were to get increased environmental flows that may mean less MDB irrigation and perhaps higher food prices. Coastal desalination is expensive, sewage recycling is yucky to some and population shifting to the tropical north is a leap into the unknown. I think things will just have to deteriorate to the point that these hard options become palatable. The Snowy River will probably be one of the permanent losers.

I vote for the Murray Darling option.

It seem's that Acacia has given up on the local state member Steve Whan and the NSW Govt.
She has high hopes that the Federal Labor Govt will trump the State (In truth, Greater Sydney) Labor Govt.
The State Labor Govt needs the returns the Snowy Mtns Authority generates to much to allow environmental issues to intrude.
The discussion between Carmel Tebbit and Anthony Albanese at the family dinner table also brings a chuckle to my mind.
The Corrong can be helped by breaching the barrage so it can once again become an estuary.
The Murray-Darling Basin needs most of it's agriculture to move north.
Economics will eventually force the move anyhow.
Then a good snow year in the Main Range.
Hopefully the record winter in the northern hemisphere will be replicated here.
Then the Snowy will flow again.

All landholders with dams in the Snowy catchment should be forced to fill them to let the water runoff as nature intended. Greed is not limited to corporations.