Warragamba Dam Raising

To whom it may concern,
I oppose the Warragamba Dam Raising Project. My partner and I live in the Blue Mountains and strongly urge the Department of Planning and the Minister responsible to cease this plan on the following grounds:-
It will destroy the pristine wilderness, indigenous art sites, threatened plant and animal species.
It is unnessary.
Will impact the World Heritage listing and potential Tourism.
We urge that instead:-
The Dam Water levels be managed safely.
That there is no further development in the flood plains (these should be used for parks and or agriculture).
That funding is instead directed to flood evacuation roads and mitigation for affected communities.
We need to protect the natural landscape for the threatened plant and animal species, to respect our First Peoples heritage and preserve this for future genrations.

To whom it may concern,
I strongly believe that the Warragamba Dam should not be raised. I have travelled around the Kowmung River and know what a wonderful and important ecological site it is- with all sorts of wildlife. Destroying the river and inundating the habitat of threatened and endangered communities is not justified in order to expand floodplain developments in the Sydney Basin.
The loss of aboriginal sites is irreplaceable and unjustified.
There are simple solutions available which would be in much greater accordance with the World Heritage Value of the Blue Mountains- lowering the full supply level while converting the osmosis plant to renewable energy would provide reasonable floodplain protection while helping NSW build back better after Covid through renewable energy.

To whom it may concern,
I wholeheartedly object to the raising of the dam wall. The dam should be free to fill the flood Plains as needed in times of great rain. People should not be allowed to build in the impacted areas. It is irresponsible and totally undermines the ecosystem in place.

To whom it may concern,
I'm a long term resident of the blue mountains LGA who loves going bush walking in our beautiful world heritage national park close to home.

the proposed raised warragamba dam would undermine our blue mountains national park heritage value and threathen various native flora and fauna.

In particular the hábitat for the critically endangered regent honey eater, koala colonies and Sydney's last emu population would be drowned by a raised dam wall.
The beautiful kowmung river we love would be inundated and therefore no longer deemed a 'wild river' which not many we have left in this world.
please consider the local and future residents area and the tourism value that the world heritage value represents.

To whom it may concern,
I am a long term blue mountains resident, having grown up here, walked and found wonder and peace in its wilderness, and worked in the community as a medical doctor. These give the proposed dam wall raise a strong personal element.
This project would inundate the Kowmung river, one of few declared 'wild rivers' in the state, along with 5 700 hectares of national park. The commonwealth government has estimated at least 1500 indigenous cultural sites will be lost. There will be a large impact on animals, including endangered species. Habitat for the critically endangered regent honey eater, koala colonies and Sydney's last emu population will all be drowned by a raised dam wall. Fuethermore, assessment of these impacts was inadequate, with just 3.5 hours spent looking for koalas and a single day assessing impacts to aquatic life, including platypus. This is in the context of the severe 2019/20 fires which burnt 81% of he blue mountains world heritage area and since which no post-bushfire surveys have assessed threatened species. Finally seven layers of legislative protection are afforded to this area and approval of this project would set a dangerous precedent for national park and world heritage protected areas.
As such I strongly oppose the raising of the dam wall on ecological and cultural grounds and feel that effort to alternate solutions is the only way forward.

To whom it may concern,
I beleive the proposal to raising the Warragamba Dam wall is NOT in the best interest for the state of NSW.
My family and I have lived in the Blue Mountains for over 30 years. The changes not only to the mountains but also in western Sydney have made our once beautiful area become dense with over population, that we now have to convert our world heritage listed wilderness into a huge water reserve. We are unable to cope when floods arise at the best of times.
Why would you want to let these money hungry corporate bodies, build more homes and infrastructure in an area we have already started to desecrate.
To note we have an airport which is just madness (Badgerys Creek), have made Parramatta such an eyesore (demolishing 100yr old buildings), and continure to destroy what heritage our ancestors have built and tried most of the time to preserve.
So lets just forget what our beautiful State used to be.
You all should be ashamed of yourselves for treating us with such disrespect. The people of the State pay your wages of have you forgot?
Now and future generations count on a Goverment that cares for their State and enviroment, if you are unable to provide that service let someone in that will.

To whom it may concern,
I strongly protest against the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall. The damage to flora and fauna which would result from this action is not acceptable. We have lost more than enough from recent disasters such as the 2019/20 bushfires. The raising of the dam wall is obviously for the benefit developers and it would completely ignore the concerns of indigenous people. The height of the dam wall should never be increased.

To whom it may concern,
I have lived in the Blue Mountains for 26 year and was very proud when it was declared a World Heritage Area.
I understand that the Sydney area needs water but I think the need to educate people to respect water like it is done overseas where water is less plentiful rather than build a dam wall in a world heritage area.
I feel it has a second issue for re zoning flood plain areas so they can be built on. This is not flood mitigation which is as I understand the purpose for raising the dam wall.

The World Heritage Area of the Blue Mountains is sacrosanct. It has existed since time immemorial and should not be subject to flooding or destruction at the whim of the NSW Government. To contemplate destroying land forms, flora and fauna to enable multiple dwellings to be built on the flood plain at the desire of a developer is a step that must not be taken. In Australia too many instances have occurred where the wishes of the original indigenous owners of the land have been ignored. Voices of indigenous and other caring citizens protesting against this proposal need to be heard. The Warragamba dam wall must not be raised, ever.

To whom it may concern,
I am a long- term resident of the Blue Mountains. I commenced kindergarten in 1975, and both my children and I have lived and completed our education in local schools in the lower Mountains. My family and I currently reside in the upper Mountains. We have developed a deep connection for this area of great beauty, which enjoys UNESCO World Heritage status.
Due to its wilderness, canyoning and bushwalking opportunities; the Blue Mountains is celebrated as a tourist attraction, both nationally and internationally. This in turn creates employment opportunities for local residents.
I have grave concerns regarding the proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall. By increasing the catchment area, this will impact 5,700 hectares of national parks, 1,300 hectares of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage area and 65 kilometres of wilderness rivers.
Due to the devastating 2019/2020 bushfires, we have already lost a huge koala population. The raising of the dam wall will further flood habitats of koalas, the Regent Honeyeater (critically endangered) and the last Sydney Emu population. Both Koalas and the Emu are internationally recognised as iconic Australian fauna.
The Gundungarra people will lose areas of cultural significance and heritage which is irreplaceable.
I wish to advise for the following reasons my objections to the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall.
Causing damage to areas of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage area would breach Australia’s commitments under the UNESCO World Heritage convention, thereby endangering its status.
I feel that the Liberal National Party state government prioritise development of the floodplain of the Hawkesbury region over retaining the World Heritage status of the Greater Blue Mountains area.
Raising the dam wall will not prevent flooding of the Hawkesbury region, as was clearly demonstrated in March 2021 with severe rainfall conditions in the area.
For this reason alone, raising the dam wall will be a pointless exercise. The inevitable destruction of Gundungarra people sacred sites, eradication of species of flora and fauna, endangering the UNESCO World Heritage status of the Greater Blue Mountains area are not acceptable outcomes for the reason of creating housing development in a longstanding floodplain.

To whom it may concern,
I have been a local resident of the Blue Mounatins for 20 years. In this time I have seen floods and fires. I have found solace in the grandeur, pride in showing this area to overseas vistors and a pace of life that I can only equate with the "earth's time".
A sudden impact - such as raising the dam wall - does not fit with this idea of time. It does not fit with a World Heritage Area, it does not fit with the animals that call this area home - endangered species , Australian icons such as Koala's & Platypus, Regent Honeyeaters and Sydney's last emu's. Raising the dam means that they would suddenly find their homes washed away. Raising the Dam wall is a short sighted proposal, for a long term life cycle.
It is not just me, clearly. who values this area. UNESCO has seen fit to honour the Blue Mountains with it's highest description - World Heritage. It's not just me - for thousands of years people have roamed these lands, worshipped, left their mark and continue to honour their traditions. Raising the Dam Wall is a short sighted proposal for an area that has, and will continue to be, a life source for generations of humans, rivers and creatures.
I am opposed to the Raising of the Dam wall, opposed to the idea that this project would breach Australia's obligations under the World Heritage convention.
I want to see more options investigated - including reducing floodplain development, looking at alternatives for infastructure such as flood evacuation roads, and even lowering the current dam's full supply levels.

To whom it may concern,
I strongly stand against this absurd project which is purely motivated by money and is threatening our natural environment as well as the existing species near the Warragamba Dam. I love spending time in the outdoors and really can't imagine explaining to my kids one day how we once endangered so many protected animal and plant species for the sake of money or real estate.

To whom it may concern,
I oppose the raising of the dam.
Govt. needs to learn how to manage the growing population sustainably.
Destroying natural habitats is not sustainable.

I would like to put forward my submission of support for the Dam raising project. The reason for my support ;
I live along the Hawkesbury River and have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of the March 2021 floods. When I was first able to get back to my property after having to vacate due to the rising water, one of the saddest things I have ever experienced was seeing the displaced wildlife clinging to the foreign debris within the water. Wild animals allowing you to approach an assist them, showed just how scared and desperate they were. The sadness of seeing the apex of all of our neighbours roofs, just breaking the waterline is something I never want to see again. And now, six months later, living with and doing our best to rectify the devastating damage caused to the land. We live in such a beautiful part of NSW, it is such a shame this constant threat detracts from that, especially if it can be mitigated.
Thankyou for taking the time to review my submission.

To whom it may concern,
Given the main insurance body, the Insurance Council of Australia, has dropped their support for the raising of the dam wall, and instead suggested other measures, this should be a clear signal to government to drop this proposal.

It is clear this is flawed and should not proceed, as the former NSW SES Dep Commissioner and flood expert Chas Keys agrees.

It will also impact the Blue Mountains Heritage status and introduce visible scaring from major tourist spots, negatively affecting the local economy and jobs. As well as locally threatened species.

In summary. The proposal to raise Warragamba dam wall most not proceed.

To whom it may concern,
I understand from reading widely on this issue that, during flood events, a large proportion of the water causing downstream innundation does not actually flow from the Waragamba Dam at all, but enters from side-streams downstream. Raising the dam wall would have little if any benefit.

I live in Lawson, NSW and would like to submit this submission against the raising of the Warragamba Dam.

Since arriving in Sydney in 1977, the Blue Mountains has been a favoured area for recreation, so much so, that I moved my family here in 1994. My favourite area for walking has been the Kanangra Boyd NP, with the Kowmung River being top of the list, as it’s one of NSW’s last truly wild rivers. Over the years, I’ve walked almost the whole length of the river to it’s junction with the Cox’s River. It’s also a great area for Bird Watching & being out in Nature in a true wilderness area. So I was horrified to hear of plans to flood the lower reaches of the river at times of extreme rain events. It is especially concerning that this project can even be considered in a World Heritage listed area, which surely would be a clear breach of Australia’s obligations in regard to this listing.

I strongly oppose the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam due to the projects unacceptable impacts on the environment upstream of the dam. With this area being “off limits” to all but a lucky few, it has become a hidden nature reserve right on Sydney’s door step with one of the most intact grassy box woodlands still remaining in S.E. Australia. Many endangered species of Birds & Animals live here, including the brush tailed rock wallaby & is a nesting area of the Critically endangered Regent Honeyeater.

The draft EIS concludes that the project poses potential significant impacts to breeding habitat of the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater that, “cannot be avoided or minimised”.
The willingness to destroy and degrade breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters seems strange, considering the time and money that the Federal and NSW Governments have invested into the Birds recovery program, including the Regent Honeyeater Captive Breeding and Release program. 
If only 7.5 meters of the increase in Dam height is being considered for the “impact area” in the environmental assessment, to reduce environmental offset costs, then this should also be the maximum height that the Dam could be raised.

It seems to be a huge & expensive project that will not fix the flooding of the Hawkesbury Nepean floodplain. During any extreme rain event, causing a flood on the floodplain, the water doesn’t all come from Warragamba Dam. There’s also the Nepean, Grose & Colo rivers as well as many more, all dumping their flood waters onto the floodplain, (this is why it was created in the first place).

So, in the future, if the project were to go ahead, in a large flood, the Hawkesbury Nepean floodplain would still be inundated, whilst pristine areas upstream of the dam, would be submerged & probably destroyed.

Sounds to me like a lose lose situation.

I am against any raising of the Warragamba Dam wall. We are living through an extinction crisis which is mostly occurring due to Human interference and development. We should be saving our wilderness areas so future generations can enjoy what we have taken for granted, not intentionally Flooding areas of World Heritage importance, just to help Property Developers cram more houses onto the floodplains, which will only lead to further congestion in western Sydney.

The cost of the project is also a concern, we are already lumbering our Children to pay back the Billions of Government stimulus for Covid 19 & now could push another multi billion debt onto their tab if this project were to go ahead.

A much cheaper & environmental friendly option would be to lower the full supply level of the Dam maybe 20 meters & use the moth balled desalination plant to make up the difference for water supply if it were needed. This would still give a flood mitigation zone without the hefty price tag & environmental destruction.

Thank you.

To whom it may concern,
Re: Project Number SSI-8441
I would like to make a submission in objection to the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall. I have been a resident of the Blue Mountains for the past 12 years and I have a strong connection with the Blue Mountains and its natural environment. I spend a lot of time enjoying bushwalking and the cultural and natural heritage the Blue Mountains has to offer.
The following provides the facts that I see as relevant for the Minister to consider when making his decision to raise the dam wall regarding the environmental assessment:
1. The Commonwealth Government has estimated at least 1,500 Indigenous cultural heritage sites would be inundated by a raised dam wall.
2. There are seven layers of legislative protection afforded to the areas that a raised dam wall would inundate and destroy in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
3. There would be damage to natural and cultural values caused by the project and a clear breach of Australia’s obligations under the World Heritage Convention.
4. The project would inundate over 65km of wilderness rivers, 5,700 hectares of National Parks and 1,300 hectares of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
5. The Kowmung River which is a declared ‘Wild River” would be inundated by the raising of the dam wall.
6. Habitat for critically endangered species such as the Regent Honeyeater, koala colonies and Sydney’s last Emu population would be devastated by the raised dam wall.
7. The environmental assessment only spent 3.5hrs looking for koalas and a single day assessing the impacts to aquatic life and systems which is totally inadequate.
8. There has been inadequate time spent assessing Aboriginal cultural heritage. Only 27% of the impact area was assessed for this issue and only one day spent in the field by the author of the cultural heritage assessment.
9. The assessment undermines the legislation which is the foundation of environmental protection in NSW. Approval of the project would set a dangerous precedent for Australia’s World Heritage and National Park protections.
10. There has been no modelling of the stated flood and economic benefits of the dam wall raising in the environmental assessment undertaken.
11. There are many alternatives to raising the dam wall which should be fully investigated such as building flood evacuation roads, lowering the full supply level of the present dam and reducing floodplain development.
For the above reasons, I place my total objection to the raising of the Warragamba Dam Wall ands ask the Minister to consider the above facts in determining the proposal.

Yours sincerely

I don't approve of the raising of the dam wall to flood a listed World Heritage Area. Raising the wall is a short term solution as, in another 100 years another dam will be needed to cope with the increase in Sydney's population. I also hear that the raising of the wall is a short term solution to mitigate flood waters and control overflow in times of extremely heavy rainfall. That is short term as well, given that with increasing population, a government in the future will uses the extra height of the wall for permanent storage to allow downstream development. My solution is to construct a second desalination plant in the northern suburbs to cater for that side of Sydney. In the future another may be needed in Newcastle and another in Wollongong. At the least we won't destroy the National Parks giving fresh air to Greater Sydney.

The Hawkesbury River flooding this year was incredibly devastating and destroyed homes and livelihoods. It is essential that we mitigate against this.