Snowy Hydro will release water into the Snowy River as rain continues to fill Lake Jindabyne.
With the continuation of heavy rainfall across the region Snowy Hydro have advised they will release water into the Snowy River as early as Friday March 4 as Lake Jindabyne is expected to again reach 100% capacity triggering the spill gates to open.
On March 3 Lake Jindabyne was at 96.32% and the lake level has remained high since mid December. Banjo Paterson Park has been under water for much of the summer and the lake foreshore path restricted due to the high water level. This coming weekend another 20-50mm of rain is expected in Jindabyne.
Statement on Thursday March 3 from Snowy Hydro.
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.
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%.
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:
See live lake levels on Snowy Hydro website.
More information about water releases into the Snowy River visit the DPIE website
You can follow the updates on water levels of Lake Jindabyne via Snowy Hydro social media channels.
DPE Water will engage with landowners subscribed to its SMS service.
Stay tuned to the BOM and SES (or Vic Emergency) as the primary sources for up-to-date information and advice.
