Snowy Mountains

Snowy Mountains, range of the Australian Alps, SE Australia. It is the site of the Snowy Mts. Hydroelectric Scheme, Australia's most extensive hydroelectricity and irrigation complex. The scheme was begun in 1949 and completed in 1972. A series of dams and tunnels control the Tumut and Snowy-Murray river systems and divert water from eastward-flowing streams back across the Great Dividing Range. Seven power stations have a combined capacity of 3,740,000 kW.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Australian and New Zealand Physical Geography