Warragamba Dam Raising

To whom it may concern,
Warragamba Dam should not be raised. The catchment that will be affected is of too high a value to justify destroying it through raising the wall. The area is protected under its world heritage status and this should be respected.
We must prioritise ecological and cultural values over township development to protect these important places.

To whom it may concern,
I object to the dam raising. I believe all dams should be abolished to allow water to go where to needs to go. Seeing what happens downstream of Menindee when they hold the water there is devastating. It has a terrible impact on the wildlife and also a devastating impact on the indigenous communities that rely on the water.

If you truly care about indigenous communities and Australian native wildlife and landscapes, you will not raise this dam.

To whom it may concern,
DO NOT DO THIS AGAIN TO OUR BUSH!
I walk throughout the Blue Mountains all the time and have done so for many, many years. It is such a beautiful, unique and life sustaining place.
While I appreciated the need for Sydney to have a water supply it has always been painful to see how the Burragorang Dam has decimated that valley landscape and destroyed what can never be replaced, including evidence of the fascinating and courageous Gundungurra people and the white Australian settlers that lived there and whose history was covered by this dam in the 1957.
WE CANNOT DO THAT AGAIN
“So much was lost and so much more will be should the NSW Government continue to move forward with raising the Dam wall. Knowing the wilderness that is still there and priceless Aboriginal heritage, that would be an incomprehensible tragedy.” Robyn Collier, 2018. Last artist to paint the Burragorang Dam/ Valley as it now is.
Have the people who have the final say about this dam wall, ever walked and camped there – going to sleep and waking to the birdsong; watching the seasons of native flowers and peeling bark; noted the animal scats and tracks; heard the bounding kangaroos or shy wallabies; smelt the eucalyptus in the hot sun; marvelled at the tenacious trees hanging on cliff edges of gorgeously coloured sandstone? Have they cried when the fires rip through, and smiled at the beauty of returning waratahs, wattle, grass trees and banksias that remind us of how amazing, how resilient, how magnificent is this place. Have they stood on the far side of Mount Solitary or Ruined Castle, or the end of Castle Head, Narrowneck or Kings Tableland and called across the valley and ranges – “I love you, stay as you are forever!”?
Have they been truly honest and admitted this desire to heighten the dam wall is about our stupidity for letting houses be built on floodplains; and about short term economics, not what is best long term or is best for our tough but fragile landscape - best for future generations – so they too can breathe easily and enjoy nature?
No, they are thinking in the short term, narrowminded, short sighted and ignorant.
Housing and development on the flood plains must be stopped – not raising the dam wall that will destroy more pristine bushland.
Those who have lived long in flood prone areas along the Nepean/Hawkesbury River have learnt to prepare and adapt – knowing when floods were imminent, knowing the risks, and being willing to live with them. Now, with increased and cheaper housing there has not been enough foresight nor honesty in educating new residents to the realities of these dangers.
How can destroying more than 5700 hectares of native bushland be justified for these irresponsible, unrealistic developments? Shouldn’t these developments be adapted or abolished because of the risk they put on the bush – the Bush that can not speak up for itself.
Land developers are desperate for their money returns, and I understand this, but they should never have believed it was potentially lucrative, and that floods could be averted because the government could be persuaded into changing its mind about protecting this World Heritage area.
And what about the homeowners in these flood prone areas? Before buying are they educated about the risks of flooding, the insurance premiums and the chance of them increasing astronomically, and the resale value of their homes? Are the homes and developments built appropriately for the risks? Should they be built given the risks? Are the developers honest, even to themselves, that what they are building, and selling is fair for the buyer? And are councils equally honest or realistic?
Did council, when these present developments (on flood plains) and the ones that are planned to be built, secretly intend all along, to change the agreement about the protection of this area of the National Park and protected wild areas? Shouldn’t these developers and councils be punished for this dishonesty not the bushland or the unsuspecting new homeowners. Shouldn’t developments be made to fit in with the natural environment as much as possible and not vice versa?
I add my vote to stopping the raising of the dam wall, it should never have been considered. Alternative housing development areas should be found – ones that do not put the owners or the bush at risk. There should be no going back on the hardfought protection of this natural area when it became part of the World National Heritage listings.
DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO PROTECT not DESTROY
Do not let economic gain be the coups de force.

To whom it may concern,

As a citizen who calls the Blue Mountains home I am exercising my right to make a community submission regarding the EIS for the proposed raising of Warragamba Dam as a flood mitigation strategy.
I am opposed to this option due to the significant impact it will have on the environmental and cultural value of the upstream region, and am suspicious about the methodology used to determine that damages to these values are justifiable due to the decreased flood risk in Western Sydney.
I am extremely disappointed yet not at all surprised to learn of development plans linked to the outcome of this proposal, which furthers my suspicion that the EIS has not been a true decision-making process and rather a rationalisation of decisions already made.
It is the responsibility of the government to consider the impacts on all residents as well as threatened species and unique, irreplecable country and culture - not just developers. Other options need to be considered more equally. Please remember your duty of care and give this decision the due care and respect it deserves, which you are not yet doing.

To whom it may concern,
Hello,
I am massively opposing this proposal as the environmental destruction that will come from this disrupts the connection to my country and is just an example of poor government choice. The plan to raise the Warragamba Dam by 17 metres which will inundate 5,700 hectares of National Parks, 1,300 hectares of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and 65kms of wilderness rivers is terrible. Other reasons why this is horrible - It’ll be a breach of Australia’s obligations under the World Heritage Convention - The Commonwealth Government has estimated that 1,500 indigenous cultural heritage sites will be desecrated - Habitat for the Regent Honeyeater, koalas, platypus and Sydney’s last Emu population will be destroyed - Only 7.5 metres of the 17 metre increase have been considered an “impact area” in an attempt to reduce environmental offset costs. I am concernced that the approval of this project will set a precedent which will lead to much more conservation land recieving similar treatment. Why? Flood mitigation C’mon…. Why really? Property development you idiots$$$ CHA-CHING $$$ Also there is a woeful excuse for environmental and cultural impact assessment. These dinosaurs should know this is reprehensible and that they should be ashamed of themselves I will be telling whoever I can! “Both parties are as bad as each other….” Nope - from the state of this proposal one is heeeeaps worse.

To whom it may concern,
I am making this submission as I find the disregard for the endemic flora and fauna of Australia appalling and the inconsiderate opinions for the cultural significance of sacred indigenous sites horrific. As someome who has grown up in the mountains i have a deep connection to the land and working in western sydney i have seen how different the lives and attitudes of those that havent been able to connect to bushland. We need to stop putting the wildlife below development. There are othet ways to mitigate flood and encourage development without destroying 17 hectares of bush. Bush that is home to many endangered wildlife. There are so many acts both federal and state that are being forgotten about with the raising of the wall. How can this even be considered. It's disgusting and in order to prolong human life on this planet we need to be doing more good things to ensure we do not create irreparable damage. By 2050 if we do not change our ways the planet will be too far gone. Read James Martin's book the meaning of the 21st century. It will open your eyes to the wrong doings of our government.

To whom it may concern,
I am not a blue mountains resident but enjoy the pristine world heritage wilderness anytime I get the chance to visit.
I cannot express enough how bizarre and crazy this development of the dam sounds to me.

To whom it may concern,
Please discontinue this. Raising the dam will destroy too much of the natural environment.
Reconsider, there are other means to reduce flood damage and frequency.
Your decision will destroy habitat needed by endangered species. Habitat that is world heritage listed.
Your decision will be irreversible. The consequences will be borne by natural lands and species we have sworn to protect. I can only hope the weight of those consequences will be borne by you, and your party.
Raising the dam is unconscionable and unforgivable. The natural environment is already in a precarious position. Please dont turn dire to dead.

I strongly object to this project, which is clearly motivated by political point-scoring rather than protecting the future of our environment and therefore ourselves. The significant effort, money and resources that would be put towards this project would be much better directed towards emissions reductions and undoing some of the damage we’ve already done. It’s too late for empty ‘offsets’.

There are numerous and significant reasons this project should be scrapped:

- The project rationale is deeply flawed, with nearly half the floodwaters that have historically impacted the floodplain coming from rivers outside the Warragamba catchment.
- Raising the dam wall will encourage further ill-advised development in vulnerable areas without providing any guarantee of future protection.
- What we need is better population and urban planning, not short-sighted fixes that will only encourage development in flood prone areas.
- The World Heritage listed Blue Mountains National Parks have been given the highest possible international status and protection in recognition of the area’s extraordinary biodiversity and ecological integrity.
- The Commonwealth and NSW Governments made a commitment to future generations to protect the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area forever. This is the last place that any government should sacrifice to enable further expansion of floodplain development.
Raising the Warragamba Dam wall will inflict terrible damage on the environmental and cultural values of the catchment. It will decimate 5,700 hectares of National Parks, 1,300 hectares of World Heritage Area, more than 60 kilometres of wilderness rivers and thousands of Aboriginal sites and places of cultural significance. The area that will be destroyed contains some of the best remaining grassy woodland ecosystem in NSW, complete with healthy populations of dingo, quoll, woodland birds and many other native species.
- The rising water will drive threatened species into extinction, including NSW’s rarest bird, the Regent Honeyeater.
- Australia is a signatory to the World Heritage Convention and required to do everything in its powers to protect the ecological integrity of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. - This proposal falls far short of that obligation, and if the EIS is approved it will confirm our growing international reputation as environmental vandals.
- No consent has been obtained from the Gundungurra Traditional Owners for the work that will significantly impact their cultural heritage.
- The purpose of raising the dam wall is to hold water at a level up to 17 metres higher than the present dam. Even if the water is only held at these elevated levels for a few months, the unavoidable reality is that the habitats, flora, fauna, cultural sites and soils within the inundation zone will be devastated.
- Despite the EIS having been in preparation for more than 5 years, the environmental and cultural surveys on which it relies are woefully inadequate. The EIS relies upon biodiversity and cultural surveys conducted before the unprecedented wildfires of 2019/20, which burnt 81% of the Greater Blue Mountains. Those fires changed the face of the Blue Mountains and drove many species to the brink of local extinction. It is not sufficient to do a ‘desktop’ analysis of the impacts of the fires on the project area, a new survey is needed.
- The Commonwealth Department of Environment and the International Council on Monuments and Sites have both pointed out very serious failings in the assessment of the impact on the cultural heritage of the Gundungurra traditional owners.
- The proposal relies upon the payment of biodiversity offsets to mitigate the irreparable environmental damage to the biodiversity of this unique and internationally significant area.
- Calculations based on the NSW Government’s own biodiversity laws and offsets trading scheme suggests that the total cost of biodiversity offsets will be around $2 billion.
- Shockingly, rather than disclose the true cost to NSW citizens and taxpayers, the EIS does not calculate the biodiversity offset liability for the project.
- NSW is still reeling from the 2019/20 mega-fires, record levels of land clearing and a species extinction crisis. If there is any time and any place where the protection of nature must be prioritised, surely it is in now in World Heritage listed National Parks?
- Has the NSW Government learnt nothing from the desecration of Juunkan Gorge about the importance of protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage?
- Aboriginal cultural heritage, National Parks, World Heritage and threatened species need protection, not destruction.

To whom it may concern,
As a recent resident of the Blue Mountains, moving here just two years ago from Perth WA, I am proud to say I live in a UNESCO World Heritage area. I am shocked and absolutely appalled at the pathetic effort given to “assessing” the impact this project will have on OUR Blue Mountains National Park. Just 3.5 hours was spent looking for Koalas, a single day spent assessing the impacts to aquatic life, including the threatened platypus, and just one day spent in the field assessment Aboriginal cultural heritage sites.
The perverse motivates of the NSW Liberal Government in this project are clear. To reduce environmental offset costs, just 7.5 meters of the 17-meter increase in dam height being considered an “impact area”, and they have openly stated that the dam raising will facilitate their intention to house 134,000 new residents on the Hawkesbury-Nepean floodplain. Who will benefit from this? Developers. Destruction of OUR natural environment in the name of profit.
I stand with my community and plead you to reject this proposal to raise the dam wall. There are many alternatives to raising the dam wall including building flood evacuation roads, lowering the full supply level of the present dam and reducing floodplain development.
Ask yourself this: Would I be proud to tell my family and friends that my actions facilitated the delisting of the Blue Mountains National Park from the UNESCO World Heritage area, and the destruction of habitat for threatened species? No doubt you'll realise it’s not a legacy to be proud of. If you oppose this project, you could instead be instrumental in the protection of World Heritage Status, and the conservation of the natural and cultural environment, and the threatened species within it. Now that is a legacy to be proud of.
Please, listen to the people. DO NOT approve this project.

To whom it may concern,
Stop ruining world heritage areas.

To whom it may concern,
I strongly oppose the raising of Warragamba Dam wall because of the enviromental damage to a World Heritage area. There are many threatened animals birds & plants in the area that you propose flooding. It is not acceptable to damage a world Heritage area. this government destroys habitat more than protects it.

Stop destroying our fragile echo systems for the sake of more housing.

To whom it may concern,
WARRAGAMBA EIS
I have enjoyed many glorious bushwalks in the areas of the national park around the Kowmung River which is under threat of inundation.

I strongly object to the EIS.
• It is not an adequate assessment of the full environmental impact from the whole of the 17 m increase in the dam height.
• It does not include modelling of the impact on flooding downstream both positive and negative.
• No field surveys were conducted after the 2019-20 bushfires to assess the impacts on threatened species
• It does not adequately assess the cultural implications for first nations people

No actions by the NSW government should be undertaken that:
• further interfere with the important function of the floodplain and promote housing on floodplains, putting human lives at risk
• inundate 5,700 ha of National Parks
• breach Australia’s obligations to care for the World Heritage Area
• undermine existing environmental protection legislation

I strongly object to raising the dam wall for all the above reasons

To whom it may concern,
I oppose the NSW Government's plans to raise Warragamba Dam's wall by 17 metres.
I am deeply concerned about the impact of this proposal, if carried out, on the wildlife, including already threatened species such as the regent honeyeater.

To whom it may concern

I would like to put forward my submission of support for the Dam raising project. The reason for my support is as follows.

I have lived along the Hawkesbury River for 18 years now and have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of the March 2021 floods. We were unable to leave or have anyone enter our property for more than 2 weeks. The emotional stress this caused me as my children were unable to return home during the March 2021 flood was beyond words.

The February 2020 & the March 2021 flood myself, my husband, and two sons were unable to work as there was no access in or out of our property for weeks. This additional financial burden was increased by these events, and it was the March 2021 floods that had us fear for our wellbeing. We were unable to access food or water as nobody came past in our area to assist. This is not the fault of the volunteers, as there are power lines very close to the water level to access our property.

I am a hobby farmer a hobby farmer having 14 head of cattle and 2 horses, it is frustrating enough to have to live with drought and fires for many years, in addition to the this, the cost of feed for these animals is rising every year. We do not have the facility to hold our farm animals in a safe place when the flood came that high. When we were able to retrieve our animals from higher ground when we could get to them this took more valuable time away from work. This also caused additional mental stress on myself and my husband and great concern for their wellbeing and safety not only for them but for others.

The additional financial burden after the flood and months of clean-up is never ending. We also lost quite a bit of land from the riverbank collapsing, and the damage the mud has caused, my grass is struggling to grow back.

If the dam wall can be raised this will mitigate one burden for living on the river.

My mental health has struggled and we now live-in fear of another flood coming as we have been told it is due.

If there is any way to assist in reducing the additional stress these events can cause and it is something that can be controlled, then it should happen.

Thank you for taking the time to review my submission.

I have lived in the Blue Mountains since I moved to Australia in 2017 (first in Silverdale / Warragamba, now in Valley Heights.) As well as living here, I enjoy regular bushwalks with my family.



The Minister for Planning should consider the following facts when making his decision on raising Warragamba Dam:



- The EIS did not assess the full impact area for Aboriginal Cultural Heritage (only 27% of the impact area was assessed)

- Threatened species surveys were not adequately obtained in line with established guidelines. The area is home to critically endangered species such as the remarkable Regent Honeyeater

- Raising the dam will not prevent flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. 45% of floodwaters fall outside the upstream Warragamba Dam catchment

- No post-bushfire field surveys have been undertaken following the 2019/20 summer bushfires

- The EIS does not provide modelling of the stated flood and economic benefits of the dam wall raising



I oppose raising the dam for the following reasons:



- The Gundungurra Traditional Owners of the land affected by the dam raising have not given free, prior and informed consent for the proposal to proceed

- Raising Warragamba Dam threatens the UNESCO World Heritage listing of the Blue Mountains and is a breach of Australia's obligations under the World Heritage Convention, as well as threatening the habitat of critically endangered species such as the aforementioned Regent Honeyeater and unique eucalypts (e.g. Camden White Gum)

- Raising the dam does not fulfil its intended aim of mitigating flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley

To whom it may concern,
I am STRONGLY opposed to the raising of the dam wall, as it will result in the permanent ruination of much of the Blue Mountains World Heritage area, that I cherish deeply.
I live near the National Park, and have been bushwalking in this area regularly for over 40 years. The Kowmung Gorge is one of the most beautiful areas that I have ever been to. Its loss would be a loss to the world, and a great tragedy.
Why is there a plan to raise the dam wall when a very large percentage of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment is below the dam? It doesn't make any sense.
We often get to witness the spectacle of rapidly rising floodwaters, simply by wandering down to the nearby Glenbrook causeway. Glenbrook Creek's entire landscape has been altered drastically due to flooding events in the past 2 years. None of this water catchment that I can so readily witness in flood will be mitigated by the proposal to raise the dam wall.
I cannot understand why any government would choose to waste public money building something that is going to destroy bushland and indigenous sites for ever, in a project that will not fulfil the alleged reasons for which it is being espoused, and is an irrevocable theft from future generations of Australians.
We live in a dry continent and a world that is experiencing climate change; we MUST find solutions for water supply that are safe, economically viable, environmentally friendly, and innovative; and we must stop simply repeating the old ways of doing things.
Do NOT raise the dam wall.

To whom it may concern,
I have lived in the Blue Mountains for the past 26 years, and before that, I lived in the Hawkesbury.
It is vital that we protect our wilderness and World Heritage status. As an environmental lawyer and former advisor to the Hon. Robert Hill, I worked on the World Heritage nomination for some years, and was so proud of the bipartisan approach to the nomination. Increasing the dam wall, again, has no positive outcomes and will lead to environmental devastation. I have seen many floods in the Hawlesbury over the years, and despite these floods, council and government still allow development on flood plains. Raising the dam wall is not the answer; more sustainable development and better planning is the answer. Allow the flood plains to remain so as to provide fringe urban agriculture for food production.
Please dont destroy our wilderness for the sake of a few houses and poor planning.

The Blue Mountains is a special place. I am one of many residents who live in the Blue Mountains because of its beauty, natural wonders and cultural significance.
Many of us Blue Mountains residents view the entire Greater Blue Mountains Area as our backyard. It is recognised on the World Heritage List for many reasons, including its exceptional ecological diversity and significant numbers of rare and threatened species. As local residents we love being surrounded by nature and enjoying the outdoors in the Greater Blue Mountains Area.
This is a wonderful backyard.
It should remain as it is without the destruction that would be caused by raising Warragamba Dam.
The proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam will cause considerable damage to the environment within the Greater Blue Mountains. Vast areas will be inundated, ecosystems will be destroyed and the habitats of many threatened species will be lost forever.
The regent honeyeater is a critically endangered bird. I have joined with conservationists who have for many years tried to expand the habitat of this bird by tree planting. However, its ongoing survival remains precarious. The Burragorang Valley is an important breeding ground of the regent honeyeater. Raising Warragamba Dam would destroy vital habitat and push this bird species to extinction. Australia’s record of species extinction is deplorable and another species should not be needlessly lost.
Governments have made commitments to protect World Heritage areas not to destroy them. Raising Warragamba Dam would be a failure of the New South Wales and Federal Governments to protect the Greater Blue Mountains Area and its World Heritage status.
The area under threat is part of the traditional land of the Gundungurra people. The Gundungurra object to the Warragamba Dam raising. It would devastate more than 1500 sacred cultural sites. For too long in Australia the views of Aboriginal people have been ignored. As the traditional custodians of the land, the views of the Gundungurra elders should be respected, and the proposal should not proceed.
The current Environmental Impact Statement is flawed. It is based on inadequate field assessment and seeks to downplay the damage caused by the Warragamba Dam raising proposal. The damage to cultural sites of the Gundungurra people has not been fully valued. The Environmental Impact Statement shows limited understanding of the unique environmental, ecological and cultural values of the Greater Blue Mountains area.
Raising Warragamba Dam in unnecessary. It would not completely protect developed areas in the Hawkesbury–Nepean Valley, and other steps need to be taken. Future developments should not be placed in flood zones. Work should be undertaken to begin removing many current buildings under highest threat from floods.
I strongly object to the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam.
I accept the Department’s submissions disclaimer and declaration.
I have not made any reportable political donations in the last two years.