News

LAKE JINDABYNE RELEASES – 16 December 2022

16/12/2022

High inflows to the Snowy Scheme, including the Jindabyne catchment, have been experienced for more than 12 months and are continuing due to the late snow falls and wetter than usual weather conditions.

Lake levels are approaching 100% and continue to rise, so Snowy Hydro has consulted with NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE Water) to make pre-releases into the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam from 1am Saturday 17 December 2022.

Pre-releases will be greater than the environmental releases notified on Snowy Hydro’s website and may change at short notice in response to the weather conditions. Releases are expected to remain below 2,000 megalitres per day, but could increase in response to further weather events.

If Lake Jindabyne reaches 100%, it will trigger the operation of the spillway gates. Dam safety is paramount, and the spillway gates will automatically release water whenever the storage reaches or exceeds 100%.

For the community the most important message is to stay safe and well informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and

https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

News

SNOWY SCHEME STORAGES AND SPILLS

02/11/2022

The Snowy Scheme is currently operating around the clock at optimum levels to capture very large inflows and help minimise flood risks and impacts, while still performing its critical role of supporting energy supply to the grid.

Snowy Hydro has been managing significant inflows throughout 2022 and the assets of the Snowy Scheme are performing exceptionally well. Following repeated rainfall events in October and seasonal snowmelt, most of our reservoirs are full, and as more rain falls, we need to release or “spill” the excess water.

In the past week, spills have occured at locations including Guthega, Island Bend, Tooma and Jindabyne dams, where inflows are greater than the available airspace and diversion capacity. Dam safety is paramount and spillways will automatically release water when a storage reaches 100%. Controlled releases have been made from most other storages, including Tumut Pond, Khancoban and Jounama to pass the high inflows.

Total Snowy Scheme storage has increased by over 1,100 gigalitres (GL) in the three months from August to October – this equates to more than twice the volume of Sydney Harbour. Lake Eucumbene, the Scheme’s central storage, has risen by 20%, with flows from all parts of the Scheme being diverted into this long-term storage where possible.

Inflows to Lake Jindabyne cannot be moved into Eucumbene or into the already saturated Snowy-Murray development, so excess inflows can only be released into the Snowy River.

More than 300GL has also been moved away from the Tumut River into Lake Eucumbene over the last three months. Inflows in the Tumut River below Tumut Ponds Dam must also be passed through the system.

Snowy Hydro continues to work closely with WaterNSW and utilise Scheme storage where possible to mitigate flows while flood risks are highest.

For the community the most important message is to stay safe and well informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and https://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

News

JINDABYNE DAM SPILL

28/10/2022

Following recent rainfall events and seasonal snowmelt inflows, Jindabyne Dam reached full supply level on Friday 28 October 2022 and commenced spilling into the Snowy River.

Dam safety is paramount at this time and spillway gates will operate automatically to regulate the inflows and pass them through to the Snowy River below the dam until the lake level falls below 100%.

Snowy Hydro expects high lake levels to remain and to continue releasing volumes in excess of the designated environmental release targets well into November.

Pre-releases of up to 5,000 megalitres per day from Jindabyne Dam into the Snowy River have been conducted since 4 October. This has helped in avoiding spills until now and will continue to reduce the peak of any subsequent flood events that may occur.

Snowy Hydro has been managing significant inflows throughout 2022. In the last three months there has been an increase in Eucumbene’s storage of 850 gigalitres, which is over 1.5 times the capacity of Sydney Harbour. Inflows to Jindabyne cannot be moved into Eucumbene and with significant flooding in all directions, excess inflows can only be passed into the Snowy River at present.

For the community the most important message is to stay safe and well informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit
https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and
https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

News

LAKE JINDABYNE RELEASES

30/09/2022

High inflows to the Snowy Scheme, including the Jindabyne catchment, have been experienced since November 2021 and are continuing due to the spring snowmelt and wetter than usual weather conditions.

Based on operational forecasts, if left unmitigated, Lake Jindabyne would reach full supply level (100%) and commence spilling. To avoid uncontrolled spill, Snowy Hydro has reached agreement with NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE Water) to make pre-releases into the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam from 1am Tuesday 4 October 2022.

Pre-releases will be greater than the environmental releases notified on Snowy Hydro’s website and may change at short notice in response to the weather conditions. Releases could reach flow rates up to 5,000 megalitres per day.

Snowy Hydro will continue to pump water from Jindabyne to Geehi Reservoir to be released through Murray 1 and 2 power stations into the upper Murray River at every opportunity.

Water transfers from the Geehi catchment into Jindabyne may also be necessary at times to manage flood risks in the Geehi, Swampy Plains and Upper Murray Rivers. Further releases to the Snowy River may still be required to avoid uncontrolled releases.

If Lake Jindabyne reaches 100%, it will trigger operation of the spillway gates. Dam safety is paramount and the spillway gates will automatically release water at any time the storage reaches or exceeds 100%.

For the community the most important message is to stay safe and well informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and

https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

News

SNOWY HYDRO WATER RELEASES FROM TUMUT 3 POWER STATION

03/06/2022

Snowy Hydro is the largest supplier of on-demand energy generation in NSW, by capacity. The company also has an important role in capturing and storing water in the Snowy Scheme, which helps manage and regulate inflows for the benefit of downstream water users.

The National Electricity Market (NEM), especially NSW, is currently experiencing above-average outages from coal power stations and low levels of reserve energy capacity.

There is an energy crisis in the National Electricity Market (NEM) unfolding and Snowy Hydro is being called on more than ever to keep the lights on.
To provide this essential service to the NEM, Snowy Hydro must release water from the Snowy Scheme.
Snowy Hydro is the largest supplier of on-demand energy generation in NSW, by capacity and Tumut 3 Power Station, with a generation capacity of 1,800 megawatts, is a significant contributor.
Snowy Hydro has been working closely with WaterNSW to manage storages during these challenging conditions.
Generation from Tumut 3 Power Station is significantly constrained by the current storage levels in Blowering Reservoir and the release capacity of the Tumut River.
In order to meet the predicted energy demands, it is possible Blowering Reservoir will fill and spill, potentially exceeding the Tumut River channel capacity.
In this scenario, there is potential for the inundation of low-level causeways and water breaking out of the river channel onto agricultural land adjacent to the river.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed.

The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

More information

News

JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS – Updated 12 April 2022

12/04/2022

High inflows to the Snowy Scheme, including Jindabyne catchment, have been ongoing since November.

Based on operational forecasts, if left unmitigated, Lake Jindabyne would reach full supply level (100%) and commence spilling within a week. To avoid uncontrolled spill, Snowy Hydro will again make pre-releases into the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam from Tuesday 12 April 2022.

The outlook as we head towards winter is for wet conditions to continue. Snowy Hydro will continue to pump water from Jindabyne to Geehi Reservoir to be released through Murray 1 and 2 Power stations into the upper Murray River at every opportunity. Further releases to the Snowy River may still be required to avoid uncontrolled releases.

If Lake Jindabyne reaches 100%, it will trigger operation of the spillway gates. Dam safety is paramount at this time and the spillway gates will automatically release water at any time the storage reaches or exceeds 100%.
For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:
Bureau of Meteorology
NSW State Emergency Service and
Vic Emergency
For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit
https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and
https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home
Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.
DPE Water will engage with landowners subscribed to its SMS service.

News

JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS – Updated 21 March 2022

21/03/2022

High inflows to the Snowy Scheme, including Jindabyne catchment, have continued through March.

As the lake level at Jindabyne approached 100% on 7 March, additional releases were made to the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam to manage the high inflows. These release have now tapered off, and will again follow the environmental release targets notified here: https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/about/reports/

The outlook as we head towards winter is for wet conditions to continue. Snowy Hydro will continue to pump water from Jindabyne to Geehi to be released through Murray 1 and 2 Power stations into the upper Murray River at every opportunity. Further releases to the Snowy River may still be required to avoid uncontrolled releases.

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit
https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-level s/ and
https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home
Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.
DPE Water will engage with landowners subscribed to its SMS service.

News

JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS – UPDATED

09/03/2022

Following what is now officially the wettest summer in over 100 years in the Jindabyne catchment, high inflows are now continuing into autumn.

Additional releases to the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam commenced on 7 March to manage the high inflows. Inflows to the storage have continued at elevated rates and the storage is now at 99% and rising.

Controlled releases from the dam are set to increase today from 3,000 megalitres per day up to 4,000 megalitres. These releases will be greater than the environmental releases notified on Snowy Hydro’s website and may change at short notice in response to the weather conditions. Releases are expected to continue at these elevated rates for the next week or until Jindabyne dam levels can be lowered.

NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE Water) has been consulted on this plan and continues to work closely with Snowy Hydro to make controlled releases to manage the spill risks and minimise downstream impacts.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit:

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and

https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

DPE Water will engage with landowners subscribed to its SMS service.

News

JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS

07/03/2022

Wet conditions have persisted through summer and are now continuing into autumn. Snowy Hydro has been pumping water out of the Jindabyne catchment at every opportunity and gradually created a significant amount of reservoir airspace considering the conditions.

Heavy rainfall on Saturday has triggered high inflows to Jindabyne Dam and with a forecast for lingering showers and potential for further heavy rain next week, additional releases will be required from Jindabyne Dam to the Snowy River.

Snowy Hydro commenced making additional releases into the Snowy River below Jindabyne storage today on Monday 7 March. These releases will be greater than the environmental releases notified on Snowy Hydro’s website and may change at short notice in response to the weather conditions. Releases could reach flow rates up to 3,000 megalitres per day, similar to the rates that were released in late December 2021 and early January 2022. Releases are expected to continue at these elevated rates for the next week or until Jindabyne dam levels can be lowered.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and
https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

DPE Water will engage with landowners subscribed to its SMS service.

News

UPDATED: JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS

03/03/2022

Wet conditions have persisted through summer and are now continuing into autumn. Snowy
Hydro has been pumping water out of the Jindabyne catchment at every opportunity and has
gradually created a significant amount of reservoir airspace considering the conditions.
Weather forecasts are indicating substantial rainfall in the Snowy Mountains in the coming week,
particularly to the east of the Great Dividing Range, which includes Jindabyne’s catchment area.
Based on operational inflow forecasts, there is potential for the storage to reach 100% (full
supply level) by Tuesday 8 March.

To avoid uncontrolled spill, Snowy Hydro may make pre-releases into the Snowy River below
Jindabyne storage as early as Friday 4 March. To the extent pre-releases occur, they will be
greater than the environmental releases notified on Snowy Hydro’s website and may change at
short notice in response to the weather conditions. Releases could reach flow rates up to 3,000
megalitres per day, similar to the rates that were released in late December 2021 and early
January 2022.

NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE Water) has been consulted on this plan
and continues to work closely with Snowy Hydro to make controlled releases to manage the
spill risks and minimise downstream impacts.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public
can stay updated about flood alerts here:
● Bureau of Meteorology
● NSW State Emergency Service and
● Vic Emergency

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit
https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and
https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in
Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.
DPE Water will engage with landowners subscribed to its SMS service, although the BOM and
SES remain the primary sources for up-to-date information and advice.

News

UPDATED: JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS

24/01/2022

December 2021 was officially the wettest since records began for the Lake Jindabyne catchment and with over 160mm of rain so far, January isn’t too far behind. The lake level will continue to stay high throughout summer.

Releases from Jindabyne Dam to the Snowy River returned to the advised environmental releases from 18 January. Additional flows above the notified environmental releases into the Snowy River are possible while wet conditions persist. Snowy Hydro will continue to look for opportunities to pump water to Geehi Reservoir, however, at times, the surplus of water pumped to Geehi will be returned to Jindabyne.

It remains possible that the storage may again reach 100% (or full supply level), triggering operation of the spillway gates. Dam safety is paramount at this time and the spillway gates will automatically release water at any time the storage reaches or exceeds 100%.

NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE Water) has been consulted on this plan and continues to work closely with Snowy Hydro to make controlled releases to manage the spill risks and minimise downstream impacts.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and

https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

News

UPDATED: JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS

11/01/2022

December 2021 was officially the wettest since records began for the Lake Jindabyne catchment. The lake level will continue to stay high throughout summer.

Daily water releases from the lake of up to 3,000 megalitres (ML) per day will continue until at least 17 January. It is likely that additional flows above the notified environmental releases will continue down the Snowy River while wet conditions persist. Snowy Hydro will continue to look for opportunities to pump water to Geehi Reservoir, however, at times, the surplus of water pumped to Geehi will be returned to Jindabyne.

NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE Water) have been consulted on this plan and continue to work closely with Snowy Hydro to make controlled releases to manage the spill risks and minimise downstream impacts.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and

https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.