Residents in the region are being encouraged to attend two information sessions next week to learn more about the planned high-flow environmental water releases for the Snowy and upper Murrumbidgee Rivers.

The NSW Government sessions follow strong community interest in understanding programs to enhance river health, restore natural flow patterns, and improve habitats for native species.

The project team will outline the purpose, timing, and expected outcomes of the releases, and will answer questions about how they may affect local waterways and communities.

A session will be held in Cooma on the upper Murrumbidgee River tonight, Wednesday, 27 August from 5pm to 7pm at the Cooma Ex-Services Club.

A Jindabyne session focussing on the Snowy River will be held at the Jindabyne Bowling Club on Thursday, 28 August between 10am and 12pm.

In 2025–26, a total of 177,047 megalitres (ML) of environmental water will be released to the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam including three spring high-flow events in excess of 2500 ML per day in September and October.

A total of 19,800 ML of environmental water will be released to the upper Murrumbidgee River from Tantangara Dam including one large high-flow release of 1500 ML/d in September.

“We know how critical these rivers are to local communities, so we want to make sure people can hear directly from the project team, ask questions, and understand how these flows are managed," NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, director of asset management and performance, Aurelio Lindaya, said.

“We had great engagement at our Dalgety and Bredbo sessions last year – it showed us how much the community values being involved which is why we are back on the ground this year.

“The Snowy and upper Murrumbidgee environmental flows are essential for improving river health, restoring habitat, and helping these rivers function more like they did before the Snowy Scheme was built. We urge everyone interested to register and come take part.”

These high-flow water releases are designed to mimic natural flows seen in Snowy montane rivers, including snowmelt and ‘freshes’ that occurred before the construction of the Snowy Scheme, with the aim of improving the long-term health of these river systems.