Organisers, the Snowy River Alliance (SRA) said there was renewed optimism about returning a natural headwater for the Snowy River by decommissioning the Mowamba Weir.

Chair of the Alliance, Vickii Wallace said the possibility was raised, as part of an outcome of the 10 Year Snowy Water Licence Review.

“When the Snowy Hydro Scheme was constructed, all the Snowy River’s tributaries - rivers and creeks were all dammed and diverted into the Jindabyne Dam.

“A key proposal that came out of the of 10 year Snowy Water Licence was to finalise an investigation into releasing environmental water into the Snowy River from the Mowamba River, upstream of Dalgety.

“A new government committee is to be formed which will examine concerns raised by the public, as some of these issues were outside of the terms of reference of the review. 

“One of these concerns is the much needed headwater for the Snowy River and one of the missing parts to a real recovery for the Snowy. 

“If we can’t have all the water the Snowy was promised through legislation way back in in 2002 then the least we can ask for is to give the Snowy River real natural water with environmental and ecological integrity, which only the Moonbah River can deliver,” she said.

Ms Wallace went on to say the water coming over the dam to provide the flushing flows is inert, dead water and can never replicate the ecologically complex nature of the water from the Moonbah River.

“It would also enable fish migration which is impossible right now as the Snowy River starts at the Dam wall.”

The NSW Department of Industry (DPI) has issued another ‘rising river alert’ for the Snowy River between Jindabyne Dam and Dalgety for Wednesday, October 31.

The river will rise due to the fifth and last high-flow event in a series of planned environmental releases from Jindabyne Dam to the Snowy River during 2018.​