Snowy Hydro Water Transfer Investigation

Option 6 investigated the use of the Snowy Hydro Scheme to transfer some of the Murray releases from the Snowy scheme to the Murrumbidgee River, for delivery back to the Murray at Balranald well downstream of the Barmah–Millewa Reach.

The Snowy Scheme is a hydroelectric power generation scheme located in the upper catchments of the Murray, Murrumbidgee, and Snowy Rivers. The scheme harvests water from the upper catchments of the Snowy, Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers into dams and generates electricity by releasing water through power turbines into the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers or tributaries of these rivers.

This option proposes the use of the Snowy Hydro system to transfer some of the scheme’s releases to the River Murray to the Murrumbidgee River for delivery back to the River Murray, near Euston. Using this option would reduce the need to supply regulated water through the capacity restricted Barmah–Millewa Reach.

The below report provides a detailed assessment of the feasibility of using the Snowy Scheme to transfer River Murray releases to the Murrumbidgee River, bypassing the Barmah–Millewa Reach.