Warragamba Dam Raising

To whom it may concern,
Consider the impact of what you're doing on the larger scale, the scale of future generations. For too long we've been short-sighted. Don't make the same mistake again.

To whom it may concern,
Please save our Flora and Fauna rethink how we house people xxxxx sending love xxxxx

To whom it may concern,
Do not raise the dam! Natives and priceless culture over housing developments

To whom it may concern,
As the EIS states it will be an ecological disaster to a world heritage site to raise the dam wall because people and organisations s choose to build in flood prone areas. Flora, fauna and those that use the area should not suffer as a result of.

To whom it may concern,
Please do not raise the 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.

To whom it may concern,
Ive hiked this spot for years and appalled that you would ruin this beauitul area and that you reject the suggestions of numerous government agencies that this is a bad idea and against UNESCO world heritage rules. Shame on you.

To whom it may concern,
I have lived in the Blue Mountains for over 40 years and love and value all that are intrinsically part of it. Most of all I value the Darug & Gundungurra heritage that I have inherited – more than 50 thousand years of occupation. I am honoured to live with in the World Heritage Greater Blue Mountains National Park.
I oppose the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall. It is opposed by the Gundungurra Traditional Owners who rightfully are deeply concerned about the impact on the Aboriginal sites known – more than 1,500 identified as well as possibly many many more.
The EIS has not been true to its purpose. It has been rushed and has scantly examined the totality of the Gundungurra heritage. Once flooded we all lose – and we can never recover these sites back.
It seems that there is inadequate evidence that the flood plain will be saved by the raising of the wall. There are alternative options that have not been fully explored.
Please listen to our ancient heritage and don’t make short term decisions that in themselves have questionable motivation and effectiveness. Our environment and indigenous history is far more important than short term profit and political expediency.

To whom it may concern,
I do not support the Warragamba Dam wall being raised due to the environmental and cultural damage this will cause.

To whom it may concern,
There is overwhelmimg convincing Science to stop your government from raising the Warragambah Dam Wall!
World Heritage and cultural sites will be threatened. This includes 65 kms of wilderness rivers and almost 6,000 hectares of National Park.
Traditional owners have not been brought into the decision making process!
And, there are alternatives to raising the dam wall, avoiding major environmental destruction!
I ask you to lobby against this project!

To whom it may concern,
I want the Blue Mountains Heritage area to be protected, not subject to unnecessary manmade changes which will destroy things that have taken centuries to evolve as they have. Environmental Impact Statements seem to be becoming rubber stamps for developers rather than protectors of the environment. This is very disappointing and doesn't bode well for Australia's long-term future.

To whom it may concern,
Raising the dam height will inundate areas of the blue mountains world heritage area national park. I frequently climb in the park and it would be a permanent loss for a larger area of the park to be flooded forever.
Instead of damaging the natural environment why not stabilise Australia's population by reducing the number of migrants arriving each year and removing incentives for people to have more kids.
As the Australian population research institute has shown in it's most recent survey the overwhelming majority of Australians want the population to stop growing.
https://tapri.org.au/research-reports/

To whom it may concern,
Thank you for the opportunity to make my submission.
I object to the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall.
I love the Blue Mountains. As a kid I travelled with my family from Sydney on numerous occasions. It was a great escape.
As an adult, I do the same. This World Heritage area must remain unscathed by dam waters.
It is alarming that the engineering company who did the environmental and cultural assessments for the dam wall project have been barred from the world bank and are known for their history of abusing Indigenous rights. Only27% of the impact area was assessed for Aboriginal Cultural Heritage.
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.
Many Aboriginal cultural heritage sites would be flooded.
There are better alternatives to raising the Warragamba Dam wall and these were not comprehensively assessed.
I strongly object to the raising of the warragamba Dam wall.

To whom it may concern,
I grew up in the area and my family have strong heritage links to the Burragorang, with my grandparents growing up the valley.
I am extremely concerned about the raising of the dam wall and the impact it will have on threatened species and Gundungurra cultural sites. Animal species and cultural sites cannot be valued. Once they're gone, they're gone forever. I want to be able to pass down the culture and beauty of this area to the next generation and my future grandkids. This culture is Australia's culture and something we should be proud of and work together to preserve.
Please consider alternatives to protect existing floodplain communities.

To whom it may concern,
For forty years, I have been a keen bushwalker in the Blue Mountains area and am concerned that raising the Dam wall would cause irreparable damage to vulnerable species and ecosystems. I am concerned that the EIS has undertaken no field surveys since the devestating 2019/20 bushfires and that threatened species surveys have been substantially less than guideline requirements.
At risk are 65 kms of wilderness rivers, including the pristine Kowmung River, and nearly 6000 hectares of National Parks which conatin parts of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area; a number of Threatened Ecological Communities, such as the Grassy Box Woodland and unique eucalyptus species; as well as habitats for the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater.
I am also profoundly concerned about the potential inundation of over 1500 cultural heritage sites. The EIS assessed only 27% of the impact area for Aboriginal Cultural Heritage. And SMEC Engineering who undertook the EIS have a shocking history of abusing Indigenous Rights. I understand that the Gundungurra Traditional Owners have not given free, prior and informed consent for the dam wall to be raised.
In view of this, I am completely opposed to the raising of Warragamba Dam wall. Without modelling of the stated flood and economic benefits, or the assessment of alternative options included, the EIS is clearly a flawed document and testament to a flawed process.
I ask you to reject the proposal to raise the Dam wall, and instead look to alternative and more cost-effective options that would protect existing floodplain communities and cultural heritage sites, before they are lost forever.

To whom it may concern,
I fequently visit the Blue Mountains, and treasure its peace, quiet and wilderness areas.
The EIS is deeply flawed. It is written by a compromised party, SMEC Engineering, is based on inadequate surveys and with insufficient or no modelling. Alternatives were not considered.
Even if the dam wall was raised, this would not stop flooding in Hawkesbury-Nepean area.
The Traditional Aboriginal Owners have not consented.
I therefore write to oppose the rasing of the Warragamba Dam wall.

To whom it may concern,
Please accept my submission on the above issue.
I object to the plan to raise the dam wall.
Considering Australia’s abysmal record with rampant environmental destruction and species extinctions, raising the dam wall would be a disastrous decision.
It is also worth noting that raising the dam wall is a tax-payer funded scheme to help property developers build many more houses on the western Sydney floodplains - an outcome that would endanger tens of thousands of families whilst destroying the environment upstream. Inundation caused by this project would endanger already threatened plant and animal species, destroy Sydney’s last wild river - the mighty Kowmung - and risk the Blue Mountains World Heritage Listing itself.

The Blue Mountains is a world heritage area of natural beauty. In 2000 it was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in recognition of it’s Outstanding Universal Value for the whole of mankind. It needs protection not destruction.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.
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.


I also believe the assessments undertaken so far are suboptimal and fundamentally flawed and should not be accepted as a basis for further decision making by the Minister for Planning. Some relevant points:

• Severe fires during the summer of 2019/20 devastated 81% of Blue Mountains Heritage Area. No post-bushfire field surveys have been undertaken.
• 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 engineering firm (SMEC Engineering) who undertook the environmental and cultural assessments for the project have an established history abusing Indigenous rights, recently being barred from the world bank.


There are alternatives to raising the Warragamba Dam wall that would protect existing flood plain communities. These were apparently not comprehensively assessed in the EIS and any assessment of alternatives does not take into account the economic benefits that would offset the initial cost of implementation.
It also becomes clear that no matter how high the dam wall is raised it will never be able to prevent flooding in the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley downstream as on average almost half of floodwaters are derived from areas outside of the upstream Warragamba catchment.
For the above reasons I strongly object to the plan to raise the Warragamba Dam wall.

To whom it may concern,

I have many concerns about the effects of raising the dam, especially the damage that will be done to natural and cultural values which would be irresponsible on the world stage (especially when our reputation is already damaged due to our non-commitments to climate change) and a clear breach of Australia's obligations under the World Heritage Convention.
Please keep our country pristine for future generations.

To whom it may concern, My wife & I are keen bushwalkers & have spent many enjoyable days in & around the Blue Mountains. This area is listed by UNESCO with universal value. Raising the dam wall will permanently damage these areas. Traditional owners have not & will not give permission & in so doing protect 1541 cultural heritage sites. The raising of the dam wall will not prevent future flooding of Hawkesbury- Nepean downstream. The EIS submitted by SMEC Engineering is flawed & does not take into account all environmental factors impacted by this proposal.

To whom it may concern,
I wish to remind you that raising of the dam wall has far reaching consequences; the increased dam level does not magically stop at the dam wall - it reaches all the way back up the Cox's (and other) rivers in the catchment area and floods Heritage assets, forests and wildlife at a distance from the dam.
The is also the issue of access by the public e.g. bushwalkers seeking to cross the Cox's river adjacent to Mount Cookem and the Kowmung river; this point is just above the existing standing water and would also be flooded.
I consider that the government should be buying back any development in unsuitable areas or providing other civil works to manage the flooding risks.

To whom it may concern, stop ignoring science to help your mates make money