Lake Jindabyne

Infobox lake
lake_name = Lake Jindabyne
image_lake = Jindabyne.jpg
caption_lake = Jindabyne, as viewed from across the lake
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
location = Snowy Mountains, Southern New South Wales
coords = coord|36|22|S|148|38|E|type:waterbody_region:AU-NSW|display=inline,title
type = reservoir
inflow = Snowy River
outflow = Snowy River
catchment =
basin_countries = Australia
length =
width =
area =
depth =
max-depth =
volume = 689,790 megalitres
residence_time =
shore =
elevation =
islands =
cities = Jindabyne
frozen =

Lake Jindabyne is a man-made lake on the Snowy River on the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in Southern New South Wales. The lake was created by the damming of the River as part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme.

Flow of water

Lake Jindabyne receives the flow from the Snowy River as well as its tributaries, the Thredbo River and Eucumbene River. The Jindabyne pumping station pumps the water from the rivers into Lake Eucumbene when it is then pumped into the Murray River and Murrumbidgee River. The flow of water into Lake Jindabyne is particularly strong during the spring months of October and November. Lake Jindabyne's capacity is 689,790 megalitres.

The idea of the Snowy Mountains Scheme was developed in the 1940's as a way of increasing the flow of inland rivers in order to encourage the development of primary industries based on irrigation. After the Lake was built, the flow of water into the Snowy River was only 1% of the amount that flowed before the river was dammed. This caused concerns about the state of the lower reaches of the Snowy River in Victoria and NSW [http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/soe/95/8_3s1.htm] .

A Victorian parliamentary committee recommended in October 1998 that the flow into the Snowy River be increased to 15%. Craig Ingram was elected to the Victorian Parliament as the independent member of East Gippsland with a promise to increase the flow into the Snowy River. After the 1999 election, Ingram was one of a handful of independents who reached an agreement with Steve Bracks, the leader of the Victorian ALP. In 2000, the NSW and Victorian Governments reached a longterm agreement to increase the flow of water into the Snowy to 28%. Work to modify the dam spillway commenced in 1994 and is ongoing as at February 2006.

Human environment

The town of Jindabyne was on the site proposed for the dam. It was relocated to a nearby site on the shores of the lake in the mid 1960's. The settlement of East Jindabyne is located above what is known as Old Jindabyne and you can occasionally see parts of the old town when the levels of the lake are low. The Polish community has built a statue of Paul Strzelecki who first explored the area to celebrate the Bicentennial of white settlement of Australia in 1988.

Lake Jindabyne also has a reputation as one of the best places to catch trout in Australia. It is also a popular venue for waterskiing and sailing during the spring, summer and autumn.

References

*"The Australian Encyclopedia" 1996 entries on Jindabyne, Snowy River and Snowy Mountains Scheme
*"Webster's Encyclopedia" 1996 "Lake Jindabyne"
* [http://www.snowymountains.com.au/Jindabyne.html Snowy Mountains Jindabyne entry]
* [http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/soe/95/8_3s1.htm NSW EPA Snowy Rivers Environmental Flow]

External links

* [http://www.sweetwaterfishing.com.au/Jindabyne.htm Lake Jindabyne Map] at Sweetwater Fishing
* [http://travel.duchs.com/Australia/Sydney/See/Lake_Jindabyne/ Image and Link Collection]