Long walk Snowy Hydro Dona-Mae Natoli

Provide an overview of the scheme including: Reason for its

implementation, key aspects about construction and current use. (400)
The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme began in 1949 and was finished
in 1974, taking twenty-five years to complete. It is considered to be the largest
engineering project in the history of Australia and is also one of the largest and
most complex hydroelectric schemes in the world. The completion of the
project was seen as economically important for Australia as it supplied crucial
water to the farming industries of inland New South Wales and Victoria as well
energy production for the rapidly increasing, post war population (Australian
Government, 2015 & Snowy Hydro Limited, 2015).
(Australian Government, 2015) The Snowy Mountains Scheme consists of
sixteen major dams, seven power stations, a pumping station and 225
kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts. The entire scheme stretches
over 5,124 square kilometres of mountainous area in southern New South
Wales, with only two per cent of the entire construction being visible from
above the ground. The entire project was successfully completed by the
scheduled time and to the allocated budget, costing approximately $820
million. The purpose of the scheme is to collect water from rain and melting
snow in the Snowy Mountains. The water that once flowed into the Snowy
River is now diverted through tunnels in the mountains and stored in dams; the
water is then utilized by the power stations to produce electricity. Once it has
passed through the power stations, the water then flows mainly into the Murray
and Murrumbidgee rivers, which are then used to irrigate farms and provide
water to communities in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. A
small proportion of the water then flows into the Snowy River.
Today, the scheme is operated and maintained by Snowy Hydro Limited. The
water that is diverted by the scheme to surrounding farmlands is said to
contribute to over $3 billion in agricultural produce. The Snowy Hydro
provides approximately 32% of all renewable energy that is available to the
eastern mainland grid of Australia and up to 10% of all electricity needs of
New South Wales (Snowy Hydro Limited, 2015).

Long walk Snowy Hydro Dona-Mae Natoli

(Diagram of the Snowy Catchment area and contributing rivers. Source:

http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/549170/snowy_initiat
ive_returning_environmental_flows_snowy_river.pdf)

Long walk Snowy Hydro Dona-Mae Natoli

(Overview of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. Source:

http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/549170/snowy_initiat
ive_returning_environmental_flows_snowy_river.pdf)
What are the environmental impacts of the Scheme on the Alpine
environment, Snowy, Murray, and Murrumbidgee Rivers? This should
include what are the current and ongoing issues related to the scheme
(400)
(NSW Office of Water, 2010, p1-2) Before the construction of the Snowy
Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme, the iconic Snowy River was the largest
snowmelt river in Australia, famous for its Spring flows, particularly in times
of flooding. In order to meet electricity and water irrigation demands, the
construction of the Snowy Hydro Scheme has lead to the diversion of 99 per
cent of the Snowy Rivers mean natural flow at Jindabyne. The construction
and operation of the Snowy Hydro Scheme and its associated altered water
flows, have had a significant impact on the water quality and ecology of the
upper reaches of the Snowy, Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers. The main
impact of changed flows in the Snowy River include:
Changed water temperature:
-The controlled damming and releasing of water has resulted in the water
temperatures being significantly lower than their natural temperatures. This has

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had negative impacts on species where water temperature triggers breeding

cycles. In an attempt to minimize these environmental disturbances, a multilevel offtake at Lake Jindabyne was built, this has been successful in reducing
the impacts of cold water release however natural temperatures in many areas
have still not been restored (NSW Office of Water, 2010, p9).
Loss of medium and high flows:
-Nearly all medium and high flow events in the Snowy River are captured by
the Snowy Hydro Scheme. Spring snow melts lead to high flows, which act as
a trigger for native fish migration and breeding. Furthermore, medium and high
flow events are necessary to enable native fish to move over natural barriers
(NSW Office of Water, 2010, p9).
Reduced flow variability:
-The reduction of river flows has had significant impacts on the natural
environment as they are crucial in allowing the natural processes of flushing
sediments and maintaining natural water temperatures. Consequently, habitats
for native aquatic species and water quality have deteriorated (NSW Office of
Water, 2010, p9).
Changes to the physical characteristics of the river
-Altered river flows have resulted in an increased deposition of sand and silt as
well as the loss of the diversity of in-stream habitat. There has also been a
significant increase in the amount of periphytic algae.
In 1998 the Snowy Water Inquiry was developed to investigate the
environmental issues that have arisen as a result of the Snowy Hydro Scheme
and develop options for dealing with the issues, including the environmental,
economic and agricultural impacts of these options. In 2000, the NSW,
Victorian and Commonwealth Governments agreed to release environmental
flows to the Snowy. Since 2002, south-eastern Australia has experienced the
worst drought conditions on record. This has resulted in a decrease in available
water for the all of the river systems in the Snowy region, which has made it
difficult to meet the water needs of the environment, water users and the
communities that depend on these rivers (NSW Office of Water, 2010, p9).
How has the construction of the Scheme influenced the cultural
development of Australia? Provide insights into the cultural development
of the area, where did people come from and why, what government
initiatives existed for immigration to Australia related to the scheme (400)
In 1949, after the Second World War, Australias population was only eight
million people (it is now over 23 million) (ABS, 2015). The construction of the
Snowy Hydro Scheme was a defining moment in the young nations history.
Over 100,000 people from over 40 countries (mainly war affected countries in
Europe) came to work in the Australian mountains to work together on a
project that would allow water to be diverted to farms to feed a rapidly growing

Long walk Snowy Hydro Dona-Mae Natoli

country and to construct power stations to generate renewable electricity for

homes and industries (Australian Government, 2015). Up to 7,300 workers
would provide their labour at any one time. The project required large numbers
of engineers, technicians and tradesmen, which due to the war and small
population, Australia did not have enough of. As a result, migrants made up
around 65 per cent of the Snowy Hydro workforce, travelling from the other
side of the world to seek work and a new life after the devastations of World
War II (Australian Government, 2015). These migrants were referred to as New
Australians and their skills and manpower were a crucial component to the
successful construction of the Snowy Hydro. Many of the migrants were
classified as Displaced Persons and were displaced for a variety of reasons.
Some did not want to return to the new socialist order in much of Eastern
Europe, some left Europe before an imminent Soviet takeover, some were
Prisoners of War that were in search of a fresh start and others were people who
had alliances with the Germans and were afraid to return to their homelands for
fear of retribution (McHugh, 1989, p24).
Many of the New Australians came from Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Poland,
Italy, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria (McHugh, 1989, p24). The initial
confusion and hostility that came with mutual suspicion between New and Old
Australians was short lived under the leadership of Commissioner Bill Hudson
(McHugh, 1989, foreword). A feeling of both mate-ship and achievement
developed between workers and their families, which continues in memory
today. The majority of the workers remained in Australia after the completion
of the Snowy Hydro, making a valuable contribution to Australias modern
multicultural society (National Archives of Australia, 2015).

References
SnowyHydroLimited.(2015).SnowyMountainsScheme.Retrievedfrom:
http://www.snowyhydro.com.au/energy/hydro/snowymountainsscheme/
AustralianGovernment.(2015).TheSnowyMountainsScheme.Retrieved
from:http://www.australia.gov.au/aboutaustralia/australianstory/snowy
mountainsscheme
NationalArchivesofAustralia.(2015).60YearsoftheSnowyMountains
HydroElectricScheme.Retrievedfrom:
http://naa.gov.au/collection/snapshots/power/index.aspx
NSWOfficeofWater.(2010).ReturningEnvironmentalFlowstotheSnowy
River.Retrievedfrom:
http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/549170/snowy_initia

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tive_returning_environmental_flows_snowy_river.pdf
AustralianBureauofStatistics.(2015).PopulationClock.Retrievedfrom:
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs
%40.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/1647509ef7e25faaca2568a9001
54b63?OpenDocument
McHugh,S.(1989).TheSnowy:ThePeopleBehindthePower.Melbourne,
VIC:WilliamHeinemann