Controlled floods from storage reservoirs are often used in the rehabilitation and restoration of regulated rivers. These events may influence ecosystem functioning by altering basal resource availability.  One such resource is dissolved organic carbon (DOC), a major energy source for the heterotrophic micro-organisms that often form the base of the riverine food web.   Controlled floods in the Snowy River deliver a reduced DOC concentration pulse relative to natural high-flow events.  This study examines benthic metabolic responses to the DOC signal from three experimental floods in the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam.  We expected epilithic biofilm respiration and benthic extracellular enzyme activity rates to increase concomitant with a DOC concentration pulse during each event.  Tiles colonised with epilithic biofilm were exposed to real time changes in stream DOC concentration and incubated in sealed chambers to determine metabolism rates.  Enzyme activity rates in benthic sediments were measured throughout each event. Preliminary results show a minor increase in DOC concentration accompanied by an approximately three-fold increase in biofilm respiration rate during two of three floods.   The activity rates of some extracellular enzymes increased relative to pre-release conditions, but specific enzymes showed an inconsistent response between events.  These results suggest that even a small DOC signal from controlled floods can influence benthic metabolism, and may therefore affect broader ecosystem functioning such as whole stream metabolism and carbon cycling.