Warragamba Dam Raising

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.

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 project is clearly to protect the mass building developments occurring on the Cumberland Plain, an area of natural flooding, and a location that should not be built up. It is entirely led by greed - wanting to fill the pockets of developpers and councils. The effects of the raising of the dam wall will be huge.
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 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 proposal to raise Warragamba Dam.
I understand that 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.”
This is totally unacceptable. The Regent Honeyeater is a listed bird at both a state and federal level.
The project to raise the Warragamba Dam must be dropped and more environmentally sound approach taken to Sydney’s water supply.
Thank you
Geoff Ball

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 such as the Regent Honeyeater. The destruction or degradation of a contemporary breeding site for Regent Honeyeaters would have dire consequences for the species as a whole and it is inconsistent with the National Recovery Plan for any avoidable loss or degradation of breeding habitat to occur. The Regent Honeyeater lost valuable foraging and breeding habitat in 2019/20 bushfires and is listed as critically endangered at both a state and federal level, with as few as 350 individuals remaining in the wild. Protecting the remaining breeding habitat is of the highest conservation priority.

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.
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.
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. 
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 strongly oppose the Project’s offset strategy for the Regent Honeyeater.

This project will wipe out one of the last remaining hotspots of the regent honeyeater, one of Australia’s most threatened bird species. The proposed project will decimate one of only 3 breeding sites of this bird in all of NSW (2017). I am against this project to protect the regent honeyeater and other threatened fauna in the area such as brush tailed rock wallabies, swift parrots and stuttering frogs.

There are clear and unavoidable objections to the Warragamba Dam Rising. If the government permits this plan to go ahead, not only will it be in breach of HERITAGE listed sites, it will also be endangering an already critically vulnerable species, the regent honeyeater. By raising the Warragamba Dam, this government will be signing off on the destruction of unique natural habitat that is not capable of being replicated anywhere else. 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, and it is disappointing that this government has yet to acknowledge and act on this necessity.
Furthermore, I find it horrifyingly comical that this government would seek to threaten the species that its own government initiatives have publicly sought to protect. It is ironic and hypocritical that this government could even consider threatening something they have public involvement in supporting.
I will be voting in the next election, and the issue of ACTION in animal and habitat conservation will be an important factor in my decision.

This development will result in 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.

When considering this project, please consider the environmental impacts of flooding upper reaches of the Hawkesbury Nepean River System, in particular, impacts upon Regent Honeyeaters, native flora and fauna, which will all be impacted.

Regent Honeyeaters are one of Australia’s most threatened species, with a current population estimate of only 350 birds. If this amazing bird is going to survive and recover, we must protect the precious places where they breed and raise their young.

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.

Flood experts, the International World Heritage Committee, and even NSW Government members continue to raise significant questions about the need for this project.

Thank you for considering this submission.

I object to the raising of the dam wall, on the basis of the damage to the environment currently supporting the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater, and the culturally significant land beyond that.

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 is a serious threat to the endangered Regents Honeyeater and ignores the National Recovery Plan for Regent Honeyeater's advice that “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 government cannot simply ignore the fact that this project will hasten the extinction of yet another unique Australian species for the sake of convenience. 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.

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. Will we never learn?

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

Although I live in Victoria, I visit NSW annually while touring and am aware of the already significant size of the Warragamba Dam having stayed in the area several times.
The raising of the dam wall will directly impact on and have a detrimental effect on the Blue Mountains Declared World Heritage Area which it abuts. Any negative impact also detrimentally affects native birds and wildlife, particularly including the Critically Endangered Regent Honey Honeyeater.

The area has recently been significantly affected by bushfires and is only just beginning to show some recovery but habitats take long periods to redevelop and become occupied by breeding native species. Flooding with water will take away habitat permanently.
The draft EIS identifies that there will be significant risk of impact on the breeding habitat of the Regent Honeyeater and that it cannot be avoided or minimized. As there are only approximately 350 individual birds remaining in the wild, we as the custodians over our life times must do everything in our power not to destroy further the habitat of this wonderful species and in fact, it must be a priority to target whatever can be done to enhance the chances of recovery.
Past experience has shown that offsets are rarely successful in addressing a biodiversity loss and cannot be proved to work in time for the loss which would result from raising the water level.
For the above reasons, I strongly oppose increasing the water level of the Warragamba Dam.

I write a submission in relation to the proposed Warragamba Damn height increase. I wish to lodge my strong objection to this proposal and to state my concerns for the Regent Honeyeater which is a critically endangered bird, endemic to the South East of Australia.
1 The Regent Honeyeater has already been badly affected by land clearing activities which have resulted in the clearance of the most fertile stands of nectar-producing trees. The poor quality of any remaining trees and their fragmentation, has been a further problem for this bird.
2 Competition from other - sometimes more aggressive - nectar eating birds in the area has also added to the difficulties faced by the Regent Honeyeater.
3 Regent honeyeaters play an important role in our ecosystem in that they help to pollinate many eucalyptus species.
4 There are very few mature, breeding age birds left left in the wild - possibly as few as 400 - due, as mentioned, to urban development and loss of woodland habitat. This means that this beautiful bird is a critically endangered species, quite possibly on the brink of extinction in the wild.
5 It is commonly considered a flagship species within its range, with the efforts going into its conservation having positive effects on many other species that share its habitat.
6 Australia has a very poor reputation internationally, for its husbandry of the environment. It's once unique flora and fauna has been a drawcard for tourists and researchers for many decades. As we allow our unique wildlife to diminish and die, we will also cause our landscape to become more fragile, diminish and degrade. If this is allowed to happen we will not only become a less attractive and fascinating country to live in, we will also be of less interest to visitors and researchers.
7 We do not have 'ownership' of this land ... it belongs to all the birds, beast and flora. As we fail in our husbandry, we fail in our partnership with all that share this land with us. On the South Coast of NSW, we have experienced some of the more frightening and devastating effects of this neglect and yet, see little desire from any Government to turn around our bad environmental practices.
8 Please withdraw your plans for the Warragamba Dam and make this a turning point for the Regent Honeyeater and nature.
Joanne Gwatkin-Williams, Carisbrook Fire Rd, Morton, NSW 2538.

To be honest I am horrified that there is a even a consideration to raise the level of the Warragamba Dam. It will flood vital habitat for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater and continue to degrade forests that have already been heavily impacted by fire in NSW. Forests can not just be regrown elsewhere or the loss of this natural habitat mitigated or off set with a few promises and a couple of tree plantings. This forest is mature and parts will be hundreds of years old.
Therefore 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.

Flooding a World Heritage area should not make sense unless the whole region is in poverty. With so few Regent Honeyeaters left in the world and this World Heritage area one of their few remaining breeding grounds - raising the dam level should not be proceeded with. Why declare a species Critically endangered if you are not going to protect it?

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.” 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.

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.