Warragamba Dam Raising

I strongly oppose the proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam for the following, (but not limited to) reasons: Firstly, the seemingly ill-conceived impacts to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and sadly, species that are threatened with extinctions such as the beautiful and unique yet Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater. Additionally, the 'projects' offset strategy makes a mockery of the 'National Recovery Plan' with the draft EIS concluding that the proposal poses potentially significant impacts to the breeding habitat of the Regent Honeyeater. Australia has a sorrowfully high record number of Animal extinctions... We are only on our amazing planet for a very short while and during our time here it is the responsibility of each one of us, including politicians, to care for the environment and protect our unique flora and fauna as ethical, moral and conscious human beings. You wouldn't trash the Mona Lisa just because you could, would you?

I, my wife and family of four boys, have been blessed with experiencing Blue Mountains' outstanding environment. Raising the Warragamba dam wall and consequent damage to natural and cultural values would not only threaten this wonderful environment, but be a clear breach of Australia’s obligations under the World Heritage Convention. An estimated 65 kilometres of wilderness rivers, and 5,700 hectares of National Parks, 1,300 hectares of which is within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, would be inundated by the Dam project.
I am very concerned that the engineering firm (SMEC Engineering) who undertook the environmental and cultural assessments for the project have been barred from the world bank, that no modelling of the stated flood and economic benefits of the dam wall raising are outlined in the EIS, and that the integrity of the environmental assessment is fundamentally flawed, and cannot be accepted as a basis for further decision-making by the Minister for Planning.
There are many alternative options to raising the Warragamba Dam wall that would protect existing floodplain communities. A combined approach of multiple options has been recommended as the most cost-effective means of flood risk mitigation.
It will be nothing more than senseless destruction to raise the dam wall yet still fail to protect the floodplains. Madness.

• I strongly oppose the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam due to the project’s unacceptable potential impacts on the environment including to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and threatened species.
• The draft EIS concludes that the project poses potential significant impacts to contemporary breeding habitat for the Regent Honeyeater that “cannot be avoided or minimised.”
• The Regent Honeyeater is listed as Critically Endangered at both a state and federal level, with as few as 350 individuals remaining in the wild. 
• Modelling by BirdLife Australia suggested that up to 50% of contemporary Regent Honeyeater foraging and breeding habitat was burnt in the 2019/20 bushfires. Protecting remaining unburnt breeding habitat is of the highest conservation priority.
• There are only a handful of contemporary breeding sites for Regent Honeyeater and during the assessment of the project a total of twenty one (21) Regent Honeyeaters, including active nests, were recorded within the impact area.
• Any breeding habitat is considered habitat critical for survival of the species under the National Recovery Plan for Regent Honeyeater and it states “It is essential that the highest level of protection is provided to these areas and that enhancement and protection measures target these productive sites”.
• The destruction or degradation of a contemporary breeding site for Regent Honeyeaters would have dire consequences for the species as a whole.
• The destruction and degradation of breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters is incongruous with the time and money that the Federal and NSW Governments have invested into the recovery program, including the Regent Honeyeater Captive Breeding and Release program.
• It is unacceptable and inconsistent with the National Recovery Plan for any avoidable loss or degradation of breeding habitat to occur.
• I strongly oppose the Project’s offset strategy for the Regent Honeyeater.
• Offsets are rarely an appropriate response to proposed biodiversity loss and especially for critical habitat for the survival of a species, in this case breeding habitat for the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater.
• There is no evidence that breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters can be successfully offset and any offsets would be unlikely to provide direct benefits for both the local affected population and the species.

This project will destroy significant habitat for critically endangered regent honeyeaters birds along with other threatened birds. This habitat can never be replaced as evident in the EIS.
Recent bushfires has destroyed much of the regent honeyeaters habitat making this remnant habitat around Warragamba dam extremely important as a habitat for the survival of the Regent honeyeaters and many other threatened birds such as the Powerful owl. I strongly object to the Warragamba dam raising.

I live in Sydney at 264/27 Park St, Sydney.
I strongly oppose the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam due to the project’s potential impacts on the environment including to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and threatened species Particularly the Regent Honeyeater. The draft EIS concludes that the project poses potential significant impacts to the breeding habitat of the Regent Honeyeater that “cannot be avoided or minimised.” There are only a handful of breeding sites for Regent Honeyeater and during the assessment of the project a total of twenty one (21) Regent Honeyeaters, including active nests, were recorded in the impact area.
The Regent Honeyeater is listed as Critically Endangered at both a state and federal level, with as few as 350 individuals remaining in the wild. 

I also believe that NSW has to many dams and not enough water flow in our rivers. raising this Dam will only add to the damage to our Rivers.

I strongly oppose the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall due to the project’s unacceptable potential impacts on the environment including to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and threatened species. I also stand with the Gundungurra people who oppose this project because it will destroy more of the traditional heritage.
I have bushwalked though parts of the area that would be flooded if the dam wall was raised and used to increase water levels. It is a beautiful part of the world and rightly deserving of world heritage status. It should be preserved for future generations.
I am very concerned about the impacts of this project on endangered species, particularly the Regent Honeyeater, which is critically endangered. The draft EIS concludes that the project poses potential significant impacts to contemporary breeding habitat for the Regent Honeyeater that “cannot be avoided or minimised.” There are fewer than 350 birds of this species left in the wild. Modelling by BirdLife Australia suggested that up to 50% of contemporary Regent Honeyeater foraging and breeding habitat was burnt in the 2019/20 bushfires. Protecting remaining unburnt breeding habitat is of the highest conservation priority. It is unacceptable and inconsistent with the National Recovery Plan for any avoidable loss or degradation of breeding habitat to occur.
It is also disrepectful to the first nations Gundungurra people who are the traditional owners of the land. Much was already taken away from them with agricultural activity and the flooding of the Burragorang Valley. As a society we should not take what little is left of the cultural heritage sites that is at risk as a result of this project.
There are other options available for flood mitigation. It was irresponsible to allow inappropriate development on the Nepean-Hawkesbury flood plain in the first place. Why should our natural environment, including critically endangered species, and the traditional owners, once again have to suffer?
Thank you for reading my submission.
Yours sincerely

I object to the project on environmental grounds - decreasing the amount of land now remaining as habitat for the Regent Honeyeater, one of Australia’s most iconic yet most endangered birds, whose habitat has already been severely damaged thus restricted due to the 19/20 NSW bushfires. Once gone, these birds cannot be recovered. Who wants that in their conscience?

Modelling by BirdLife Australia suggested that up to 50% of contemporary Regent Honeyeater foraging and breeding habitat was burnt in the 2019/20 bushfires. Protecting remaining unburnt breeding habitat is of the highest conservation priority.

The proposal to raise Warragamba Dam is a complete disgrace. The NSW govt has not done its due diligence and is completely disregarding the environmental, cultural and logistical issues surrounding the proposal. The Blue Mountains is a world heritage listed site! It has incredible environmental and cultural significance. It is a beautiful place to visit. I have spent a great deal of time exploring this wilderness. It is unthinkable that it could be destroyed to make greedy developers richer! This government has a shameful track record on environmental matters. It will destroy any environment if it means developers can come in and make some money. There is no transparency in the community consultations, the government just omits inconvenient truths and makes up lies.

Dear Committee
We make a submission to the Environmental Impact Statement because as concerned residents of NSW living close to this beautiful area, we must voice our opposition to the NSW Government’s proposal to raise the walls of the Warragamba Dam in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. We strongly urge you to stop and reconsider whether this project is needed at all.

This issue is important to us because if the NSW Government approves the proposal, huge areas of World Heritage-listed National Park and culturally significant land in the Blue Mountains and thousands of hectares of Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater breeding habitat would be at risk of extended flooding and potential destruction.
It is an area of outstanding biodiversity. The grassy woodlands of Burragorang would be threatened by the proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall and flood more of the valley. The proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall by 14 m for flood mitigation will flood a further 4,700 hectares of the Warragamba catchment and 65 km of wild rivers. This falls within the Blue Mountains and Nattai National Parks, which are part of the World Heritage Area, and parts of the Yerranderie and Burragorang State Conservation Areas.
Flood experts, the International World Heritage Committee, and even NSW Government members continue to raise significant questions about the need for this project. Please heed their advice as they are the experts.

We oppose this proposal for the following reasons:
• Platypus and rakali inhabit the streams and rivers of the Wollondilly, Nattai and Kowmung. A landmark assessment by scientists at UNSW Sydney has recommended the platypus be listed as a threatened species under Australia's and NSW environmental legislation. In NSW, the number of platypus observations declined by around 32 per cent in the last 30 years, so their survival is already compromised.

• The Blue Mountains area is the home of many species ranging from ground and tree frogs, bush birds, swallows, swifts, kingfishers, parrots, waterway birds, birds of prey, nocturnal birds, geckoes, turtles, skinks, bandicoots, kangaroos, wallabies, possums, gliders, monotremes, koalas, wombats, fish and more and this proposal will affect their survival by changing their habitats.

• Populations of kangaroos, wallabies (including the endangered brush-tailed rock wallaby) and emu live in a natural equilibrium with their predators the wedge-tailed eagle, dingo, and spotted-tailed quoll. This proposal would disturb this natural balance.

• Much of the area to be flooded supports grassy woodland and dry open forest ecosystems identified as priority conservation habitats by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. There is concern for the loss of threatened woodland ecosystems, threatened species, wild rivers, declared wilderness, Aboriginal Heritage and World Heritage Areas.

• Of serious concern is the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater. The draft EIS concludes that the project poses potential significant impacts to contemporary breeding habitat for the Regent Honeyeater that “cannot be avoided or minimised.”

• The Regent Honeyeater is listed as Critically Endangered at both a state and federal level, with as few as 350 individuals remaining in the wild. 

• Regent Honeyeaters are one of Australia’s most threatened species. If this amazing bird is going to survive and recover, we must then obviously protect the precious places where they breed and raise their young. Considering this fact, we are utterly amazed that the NSW government would even consider this proposal.

• The water catchment area of Warragamba Dam is one of the most intact grassy box woodlands in south-east Australia, having revealed these rare and threatened woodland birds that breed here.

• These beautiful birds (Regent Honeyeaters) and many other animals are deserving of our attention. Under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016- the purpose of the Act was to effect biodiversity reform in New South Wales, and to provide better environmental outcomes. This proposal will not provide better outcomes for this already struggling species of bird and let alone the many other animal species that call this area home like the platypus, brush tail wallaby, eagle, and spotted-tail quoll.

• The Burragorang Valley, located within the Warragamba Dam-raising footprint, was one of only three areas used for breeding across all of NSW in 2017, and is considered a key site for the conservation of the Regent Honeyeater into the future. The vast majority of the few remaining Regent Honeyeaters now breed around the edges of the Greater Blue Mountains, and we must protect every breeding site, especially those situated inside a World Heritage-listed National Park.

• Modelling by BirdLife Australia suggested that up to 50% of contemporary Regent Honeyeater foraging and breeding habitat was burnt in the 2019/20 bushfires. Protecting remaining unburnt breeding habitat is of the highest conservation priority.

• There are only a handful of contemporary breeding sites for Regent Honeyeater and during the assessment of the project a total of twenty- one (21) Regent Honeyeaters only, including active nests, were recorded within the impact area.

• Any breeding habitat is considered habitat critical for survival of the species under the National Recovery Plan for Regent Honeyeater and it states, “It is essential that the highest level of protection is provided to these areas and that enhancement and protection measures target these productive sites”.

• The destruction or degradation of a contemporary breeding site for Regent Honeyeaters would have dire consequences for the species as a whole.

• The destruction and degradation of breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters is incongruous with the time and money that the Federal and NSW Governments have invested into the recovery program, including the Regent Honeyeater Captive Breeding and Release program. It is unacceptable and inconsistent with the National Recovery Plan for any avoidable loss or degradation of breeding habitat to occur. This proposal is in complete contradiction to firstly the recognition of this species that it is critically endangered and accepted as so, by both state and Federal governments, and secondly the time and financial commitment that has already been invested in recovery programs.

• We strongly oppose the Project’s offset strategy for the Regent Honeyeater. Offsets are rarely an appropriate response to proposed biodiversity loss and especially for critical habitat for the survival of a species, in this case breeding habitat for the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater. Offsets in this case to provide such a unique habitat to replace the loss of this habitat would be implausible, as this bird has become critically endangered because it has already lost its habitats and there are few if any surviving for this species. Destroy this last remaining habitat and you herald the extinction of this species.

• There is no evidence that breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters can be successfully offset, and any offsets would be unlikely to provide direct benefits for both the local affected population and the species.

We therefore strongly oppose the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam due to the project’s unacceptable potential impacts on the environment including to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and threatened species, especially those listed above and the Regent Honeyeater especially.

Please we urge you to carefully consider this proposal in light of the irreversible damage it will do to this complicated ecosystem, that supports a variety of different fauna and flora that is deserving of our continued protection.

Yours sincerely
Janice Haviland
Martin Derby

Other Signatories
Ruby Hardie Mandy Caple Kim Gambrill Courtney Evans Lucia Smith
Phoebe Laird Lisa Margetts Katie Wynter Marie Humphries

I wholeheartedly object to the raising of the dam. The environmental impacts have not been sufficiently accounted for, only taking into account a once every 20 year flooding incident and not 100 year incident that occurred only last year, which the dam will be capable of handling but the damage done behind the wall will have unprecdented damage to the surrounding bushland, destroying cultural sites and 1000s of hectares of bush all in one is supposed to be considered world heritage protection. Once again this state government is willing to destroy the values we have bestowed on bushland recognised as 'National Parks' once seen as something to be protected and set aside because of its value can be stepped over if the right development comes along. For the properties developed on the floodplain if this idea was to go ahead will one day be destroyed just like the ill thought out housing was destroyed in the last floods, where greed won over the sacrifice of wetlands and peoples lives and livelihoods. The $1 Billion environmental cost that can be payed away is a shame to all life, tree, kangaroo, wallaby, bird, snake and frog that will be killed in this development and is a terrible example of how environmental degradation is just a fee to pay away.

I strongly oppose the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam due to the project’s unacceptable potential impacts on the environment including to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and threatened species.
The draft EIS concludes that the project poses potential significant impacts to contemporary breeding habitat for the Regent Honeyeater that “cannot be avoided or minimised.”
The Regent Honeyeater is listed as Critically Endangered at both a state and federal level, with as few as 350 individuals remaining in the wild. 
Modelling by BirdLife Australia suggested that up to 50% of contemporary Regent Honeyeater foraging and breeding habitat was burnt in the 2019/20 bushfires. Protecting remaining unburnt breeding habitat is of the highest conservation priority.
There are only a handful of contemporary breeding sites for Regent Honeyeater and during the assessment of the project a total of twenty one (21) Regent Honeyeaters, including active nests, were recorded within the impact area.
Any breeding habitat is considered habitat critical for survival of the species under the National Recovery Plan for Regent Honeyeater and it states “It is essential that the highest level of protection is provided to these areas and that enhancement and protection measures target these productive sites”.
The destruction or degradation of a contemporary breeding site for Regent Honeyeaters would have dire consequences for the species as a whole.
The destruction and degradation of breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters is incongruous with the time and money that the Federal and NSW Governments have invested into the recovery program, including the Regent Honeyeater Captive Breeding and Release program.
It is unacceptable and inconsistent with the National Recovery Plan for any avoidable loss or degradation of breeding habitat to occur.
I strongly oppose the Project’s offset strategy for the Regent Honeyeater.
Offsets are rarely an appropriate response to proposed biodiversity loss and especially for critical habitat for the survival of a species, in this case breeding habitat for the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater.
There is no evidence that breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters can be successfully offset and any offsets would be unlikely to provide direct benefits for both the local affected population and the species.

Raising the wall is catering to the developers who just want to sell more land that is not extensively flood prone. Apart from Stuart Ayres there are few in government who are in favour of this poor, ill thought and damaging proposal.

Only 27% of the impact area was assessed for Aboriginal Cultural Heritage.

Threatened species surveys are substantially less than guideline requirements. Where field surveys were not adequately completed, expert reports were not obtained.
No modelling of the stated flood and economic benefits of the dam wall raising are outlined in the EIS.
The integrity of the environmental assessment is fundamentally flawed, and cannot be accepted as a basis for further decision-making by the Minister for Planning.

The Blue Mountains World Heritage area is not just a world class National Park, in 2000 it was inscribed on UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage list in recognition of the Blue Mountains Outstanding Universal value for the whole of mankind. Raising the Warragamba dam wall and consequent damage to natural and cultural values would be a clear breach of these undertakings and Australia’s obligations under the World Heritage Convention.

An estimated 65 kilometres of wilderness rivers, and 5,700 hectares of National Parks, 1,300 hectares of which is within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, would be inundated by the Dam project. This includes:

The Kowmung River - declared a ‘Wild River’, protected for its pristine condition under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974;
Unique eucalyptus species diversity recognised as having Outstanding Universal Value under the area’s World Heritage listing such as the Camden White Gum;
A number of Threatened Ecological Communities, notably Grassy Box Woodland;
Habitat for endangered and critically endangered species including the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater and Sydney’s last Emu population.
Australia’s obligations under the World Heritage Convention mean it is critical for the Blue Mountains World Heritage site to be managed to protect its ecological integrity and authenticity. Any damage within its boundaries is completely unacceptable and inconsistent with World Heritage management principles.

Gundungurra Traditional Owners have not given Free, Prior and Informed Consent for the Dam proposal to proceed.

Over 1541 identified cultural heritage sites would be inundated by the Dam proposal.
The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment Report has been severely and repeatedly criticised by both the Australian Department of Environment and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) for not appropriately assessing cultural heritage in meaningful consultation with Gundungurra community members.
Alternatives to raising Warragamba Dam wall
There are many alternative options to raising the Warragamba Dam wall that would protect existing floodplain communities. A combined approach of multiple options has been recommended as the most cost-effective means of flood risk mitigation.

This seriously bad plan must not proceed under any circumstances. We need the existing wilderness areas, not less.

To go ahead with raising the dam will put the World Heritage Listing of the Blue Mountains at risk! There are many valuable Eco resources ad items of indigenous significance in this area and once they are gone they can't be replaced

Dear reader,

I am very fortunate to have grown up and to continue living in tbe Blue Mountains. I have spent my life walking, camping in and learning about this place, and it never fails to bring me wonder, so wild and so precious.
My understanding is that the raising of Warrgamba Dam will significantly effect the fragile, and already threatened, ecosystem of the Cumberland Plains. It will also cause flooding along the rivers leading into the dam, damaging beautiful and fragile ecosystems, many of which are still under stress as they recover from bushfire.
I have had the privilege to live on Gundungurra and Dharug country for most of my life. The Elders and people of these First Nations Communities oppose the raising. The Gundungurra have already lost significant heritage due to the flooding of the Burrogorang Valley initially. They will loose more sights that are part if a significant song line, the creation story if the Gurangatch, a story I have heard as a child and teach as an adult in schools. This story is amazing in its insight into the geography of the land.
I took part in a community project called 'Listening to Land' in 2019. We spent a good deal if time creatively connecting to the many creatures that will be effected by the dam.
The long fin eel, who has to swim up the dam to find its ancestral waters, the pygmy possum, the kestrel, the native bees, the trees...many of these spoke to us as we learned to listen.
Its time we take into account our place in the broader ecosystem, we have a responsibility toward all of the living creatures and the land, not just to housing development beyond the dam.
It's time to listen and care for the ancient heritage we have the privilege to live with.
I ask you to take this into account and reconsider plans to raise the dam. Put nature and culture first.
Many thanks,
Sarah.

This project continues the malignant destruction of this planet. It destroys one of the few remaining intact ecosystems left in NSW. Consider what has already been destroyed since human settlement and the consequences of the loss of functional ecosystems that have resulted in the wastelands NSW is famed for. It's time to stop catering to the human cancer killing this planet. If we cannot stop this malignant march into biodiversity then our fate will be as any uncontrolled malignant cancerous growth - death by greed and resource exhaustion.

My name is Debby Burgess and I live in the Scenic Rim in SEQ.
I am becoming increasingly concerned over the number of supposedly protected areas including World Heritage Listed areas that are being destroyed. These important wilderness areas have been declared protected for a reason and they should not be able to be developed in any way. Our threatened species depend on us to protect their breeding sites or we will lose them forever. I do not want to be part of the generation that allowed this to happen to so many of our wildlife species.
For this reason I strongly oppose the proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam. There is an unacceptable risk that the raising of the dam will significantly impact the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and the threatened species that rely on it for their survival. The Regent Honeyeater is a critically endangered species that breeds in this area, and the draft EIS for this project concludes that the project poses potential significant impacts to contemporary breeding habitat for the Regent Honeyeater that “cannot be avoided or minimised.” With as few as 350 birds left in the wild, any potential detrimental impact to breeding sites is an unacceptable risk. It is unacceptable and inconsistent with the National Recovery Plan for any avoidable loss or degradation of breeding habitat to occur.
The destruction and degradation of breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters is incongruous with the time and money that the Federal and NSW Governments have invested into the recovery program, including the Regent Honeyeater Captive Breeding and Release program. I do not support the proposed offset program for the Regent Honeyeater, as there is no evidence that breeding habitat can be successfully offset. Offsets are rarely an appropriate response to proposed biodiversity loss and especially for critical habitat for the survival of a species, in this case breeding habitat for the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater.

I am a bushwalker with nearly 40 years' experience of hiking in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area including the Warragamba Dam catchment.
I also operate a micro business called MountainSphere Adventures which operates guided bushwalking tours including the Katoomba to Kanangra hike which passes through the Warragamba catchment area.
I know the area surrounding the existing Warragamba catchment intimately and I have a longstanding connection with the area due to its unique natural qualities, pristine bushland wilderness, and outstanding values as an area for quiet and environmentally friendly recreation.
Raising the Warragamba Dam wall would cause irreparable damage to World Heritage listed wilderness and must not be allowed to happen. The beautiful valley of the lower Coxs River between Kanangra Creek and the Kowmung River would be severely impacted, as would the pristine lower Kowmung gorge downstream from Ti Willa Creek.
There are also stands of a rare and endangered species of eucalypt - the magnificent Camden Valley White Gum - in the lower Kedumba Valley which would be irreparably damaged.
A well known bushwalking route between Mittagong and Katoomba would become non viable where this route currently crosses the lower Wollondilly and lower Coxs River gorges.
The proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall is not in the interests of the people of NSW or of western Sydney. It has always been a mistake to allow overdevelopment of urban sprawl in outer western Sydney because much of the area being developed is a natural flood plain and no raising of the dam wall will mitigate the risk of flooding in these areas. The 2019-2020 bushfires followed by the 2020 floods are proof that natural disasters can exceed the capacity of any dam wall no matter how high it is.
The raising of the dam wall would be at great cost to the NSW taxpayer and yet the only beneficiary will be insurance companies who would then make the mistake of insuring properties in the flood plain, only to have to face enormous payouts in the future when the inevitable flood does finally eventuate.
Over the past 2 centuries, too much land has been appropriated for human use in NSW and too few areas yet remain in a pristine wilderness state as a testament to the unique natural heritage values of NSW. The Greater Blue Mountains wilderness, much of which forms part of the Warragamba catchment, is a unique and precious remnant of intact natural environment that must be preserved. Raising the dam wall would destroy large parts of this incredibly important area and must not proceed.

Please do not allow the Warragamba Dam Wall to be raised. This project must not go ahead.

Thank you

Ashley Burke

I enjoy bushwalking and bird watching in the Blue Mountains.
I oppose raising the Warragamba dam wall.
Raising the dam wall will damage the natural environment of the National Park, particularly the Grassy Box Woodland and habitat for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater. The environmental assessment undertaken by SMEC Engineering is fundamentally flawed. Despite damage caused by fires during the summer of 2019/20, no subsequent field surveys have been undertaken to assess damage to habitat and likely impacts on birds and other wildlife.
The NSW Government should be protecting the park and its ecological value for future generations.

I strongly object to the project. To inflict any damage on the breeding/feeding grounds of a critically threatened species (Regent Honeyeater) is immoral and unjustifiable on any grounds.