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Snowy Mountains SchemeThe Snowy Mountains Scheme was a massive water diversion and storage scheme, diverting water from the eastern slopes of the Australian Alps (part of the Great Dividing Range) in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales through pipes and tunnels into a series of dams, for use in power generation and ultimately for irrigation in both the Murrumbidgee and Murray valleys. The largest single diverted stream, the Snowy River, was reduced to just 1% of its former flow (at its headwaters) for many years, causing extensive environmental damage. In the early part of the 21st century, public protests led to the start of a gradual cutback in the diversions. The current target is to restore 17% of natural flow, but so far only 2% has been achieved. The associated Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme is one of the most complex integrated water and hydro-electric power schemes in the world. Named a civil engineering wonder of the modern world by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1967; the scheme interlocks 7 power stations and 16 major dams through 145 kilometres of trans-mountain tunnels and 80 kilometres of aqueducts. Covering some 3200 square kilometres and having employed over 100,000 people from over thirty countries in its construction from 1949 to 1974, the scheme was significant in Australia's economic and social development. The Scheme built several temporary towns for its construction workers, several of which have become permanent towns: Cabramurra (the highest town in Australia); and Khancoban. Additionally, the economy of Cooma has been sustained by the Scheme. External links
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