REES MUST SOLVE SNOWY RIVER CRISIS

Tuesday, 03 November 2009 12:06

NSW Premier Nathan Rees must act immediately to deliver crucial environmental flows for the Snowy River to avoid an environmental crisis and political backlash, the Total Environment Centre (TEC) warned today.

"Seven years after the decision to return environmental flows to the Snowy River the health of the river continues to decline,” said TEC Director Jeff Angel. “With flows less than one third of what was promised, Premier Rees must personally intervene to save the river from environmental catastrophe”.

Under the terms of the Snowy Water Inquiry Outcomes Implementation Deed environmental flows for the Snowy should have reached an average of 142 gigalitres this year. Actual flows to the river are languishing at less than a third of this level while NSW government indecision delays reforms to the Snowy Hydro Water License that could deliver these urgently needed flows.

“Recent reports by the Snowy Scientific Committee and NSW Fisheries Scientific Committee have highlighted the need for increased flows to prevent the environmental collapse of the river and extinction of a crucial population of the threatened native freshwater blackfish. With the spring snowmelt currently underway we need urgent action from the Premier to cut through the red tape and immediately deliver environmental flows,” Mr Angel said.

TEC has also called on the Premier to restore the natural connection between the Mowamba and Snowy Rivers that is vital for the long term health of the Snowy River.

“Restoring a natural connection between the Snowy and Mowamba Rivers is vital for providing natural variability in flows for the Snowy River, and a link to natural alpine headwaters. Inaction over fixing flaws in the Snowy water License is also a major barrier to permanently restoring this vital connection,” Mr Angel said.

TEC has warned the Premier that further inaction will create political backlash in the crucial marginal seat of Monaro.

“Snowy River communities are rightly angered by the failure to deliver promised environmental flows,” Mr Angel said.