Warragamba Dam Raising

To whom it may concern,
I have worked and lived in the World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains National Park area for the past 25 years, and in doing so have had the honour and privilege to enjoy the beauty that this unique region has to offer. However over this time I have also witnessed increasing threats to the integrity of its rivers, flora, and fauna all of which will ultimately threaten its standing as a world heritage site.
I am therefore stongly against the proposal for the raising of the Warragamba Dam Wall.
The raising of the wall will cause immeasurable damage to the habitat of already critically endangered species found within the National Park. Also the estimated 6000 hectares of land that would be inundated by this project, will have detrimental effects on some unique flora species found in this area that have outstanding universal value under the World Heritage listing. Inundation will also have severe detrimental effects on the Kowmung River protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 for its pristine nature as a "wild river".
Over 1500 culturally significant heritage sites pertaining to the Gundungurra Traditional Owners would also be inundated by this Project.
By raising the dam wall, flood risk in the Hawkesbury/Nepean Valley will not be eliminated due to flood waters coming from a range of rivers and catchments in the region. Rather international best practise(s) should be applied/adopted here in flood plain management plus the stopping of further development on these flood plains.

To whom it may concern,
In 1956, at the age of 12, I walked from Katoomba along Narrow Neck, down Black Dog Ridge to and along the Coxs River and back up Kedumba Creek and Kings Tableland to Wentworth Falls. Upstream from Black Dog Ridge the beautiful Coxs River flowed over silvery rapids into quiet pools, reflecting the surrounding blue hills and overhanging branches of mighty Casuarinas and Eucalypts. Downstream was an entirely different picture - felled trees and bare banks exposed to the hot October sun, in preparation for the rising waters of Warragamba Dam.
In the intervening decades I've done many bushwalks throughout the Blue Mountains and am familiar with most of the areas which would be affected by raising the dam wall. Although it seems that vegetation would not be mechanically removed, during flooding events the natural vegetation and its wildlife would be underwater for periods long enough to result in their destruction, leaving a wasteland of dead and dying detritus along what was previously 65 kilometres of beautiful wilderness river valleys.
The damage would stretch far and wide, fingering up tributaries of the Coxs River, such as Kedumba Creek, rainforest-clad Cedar Creek and the lower gorge of the magnificent Kowmung River (which has special protection as a "Wild River" under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974); the creeks and rivers of the rugged Blue Breaks (the Tonalli River and Lacys, Green Wattle and Butchers Creeks); and the Wollondilly and Nattai Rivers to the south.
The dam project would inundate 5,700 hectares of National Parks, including 1,300 hectares within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, pledged to protect unique and endangered species such as the Camden White Gum, areas of Grassy Box Woodland, Sydney's last Emu population and the beautiful, critically endangered Regent Honeyeater.
The Gundungurra Traditional Owners, who would lose over 1541 identified cultural heritage sites (in addition to those already drowned beneath the waters of Lake Burragorang), have not given free, prior and informed consent for the Dam proposal to proceed.
The engineering firm (SMEC Engineering) who undertook the environmental and cultural assessments for the project have an established history of abusing Indigenous rights, as a result of which they were recently barred from the World Bank. 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 reason given for raising the dam wall is to mitigate flooding along the Hawkesbury River Floodplain. However, since many substantial rivers, such as the Nepean, the Grose and the Colo and their tributaries, enter the catchment from below the Dam, carrying an estimated 45% of floodwaters, a higher dam wall will be ineffectual. Development of the floodplain will put thousands of new residents and their properties in severe danger.
There are many alternative options to raising the Warragamba Dam wall that would protect existing floodplain communities, and which would be a more cost-effective means of flood risk mitigation.
The Blue Mountains National Park and Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area are jewels in Sydney's crown, valued by traditional owners, tourists, bushwalkers and naturalists alike. They must be protected from encroachment which would severely impact their integrity.

To whom it may concern,
As a resident of the Blue Mountains I write to voice my concerns with and opposition to the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall.
Since the building of the dam in 1960 the catchment area has become one of the most protected natural landscapes in our country receiving National Park, National Heritage, Wilderness and World Heritage protections. These protections recognise the inherent value and significance of the landscapes, waterways, flora, fauna and First Nations cultural sights currently threatened by this proposal.
My understanding is that impact assessments completed on the 65 kilometres of wilderness rivers, 5,700 hectares of National Park and 1,300 hectares of Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area are inadequate or entirely lacking. To the best of my knowledge there has been no survey of threatened species in the areas that will be impacted since the 2019/20 bushfires.
Slightly more than a quarter of the area to be impacted has been assessed for First Nations cultural significance and the Commonwealth Government estimates 1,500 sites would be inundated. I have heard Elders raise their concerns about this proposal and find the idea this could proceed with out the consultation and consent of the Gundungurra People both inconceivable and offensive.
As a society we have a responsibility to care for and protect the environment that sustains us. This proposal poses a direct threat to that environment. It is for these reason that I ask you to oppose this proposal and reconsider the development of further housing on the Hawkesbury Nepean floodplain.

To whom it may concern,
I'm writing to express my complete disapproval of the proposed plans to raise the Warragamba Dam wall.
I believe the negative impacts of the raising of the dam wall are devastating and reprehensible. Particularly in light of the fact that you will not achieve effective flood mitigation, as the dam is but one of many tributaries to the western Sydney region.
The following is a list of the damage that will be done if these plans go ahead.
1. The inundation of wild rivers and streams. Destroying native wildlife and endagered species.
2. Decreasing precious biodiversity.
3. The destruction of sacred indigenous sites, and song lines.
4. Failure to protect and be the responsible stewards of the world heritage status of the region.
5. Lowering the quality of the water supply due to increased turbidity.
6. Furthermore, the decision to develop housing in the area is both short-sighted, transparent and irresponsible. Particularly when the region would be better used for agriculture. This would indeed be legitimate and responsible long term planning.

To whom it may concern,
Stop...just stop. Enough is enough! There's not one place or one of our unique Australian animals that haven't been affected by government decisions. Stop allowing our population to explode and then the demands for water won't be a priority.
Noone cares about the environment in governments! They're too egocentric to have any empathy for anything beyond the walls of their offices.
What a sad story Australia has become.

To whom it may concern,
I grew up in this area.
It would be devastating to the wildlife, the environment and the culture.
Haven't we taken enough?
Where will the line be drawn?
Extinction?

To whom it may concern,
I live in Blackheath in the Blue Mountains National Park, and moved here from Melbourne to live my life surrounded by the beautiful valleys and forests of the Blue Mountains. Everyday I either go bushwalking, rock climbing or riding with my husband, son and friends. The environment encourages a healthy lifestyle which would be irreversibly ruined by the proposed development of the Warragamba dam.
The Blue Mountains World Heritage area is not just a world class National Park, in 2000 it was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list in recognition of its 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.
I oppose the dam due to the damage to the natural and cultural environments it would cause. These areas are irreplaceable, and should be cherished and protected for future generations. The impact financially, culturally and environmentally for local communities and tourists would be profoundly negative.
Please find alternative solutions to raising the dam. This option is not a sustainable or morally correct solution.

To whom it may concern: Please do not raise the Dam and flood more of our National Park.
• Please make a balanced assessment by an independent body of all possible alternatives and make the outcomes available for public comment.
• Please include an alternative based on:
o Run the existing dam at reduced level and so lower the rist of flooding
o Build an additional desalination plant to augment the loss of water supply due to lowering the operational level
o Include an assessment of the benefit arising from using accurate weather forecasting to allow water level management
o Build a safe exit road network to make it safe to evacuate flood prone areas
Raising the Dam will cause permanent irreversable damage to our natural environment - whis is already suffering from excessive development pressures.

To whom it may concern,
I wish to send this submission voicing my opposition to the proposal to increase the height of the Warragamba Dam wall.
I am a retired medical practitioner. I reside in an outer Sydney where there are still areas of reasonably undamaged bushland. I am very worried about the increasing destruction of our natural habitat. As our population grows, these undeveloped areas and particularly our national parks will be increasingly important, to provide the population with escapes from high-density living. They will also be increasingly important to reduce or counteract the effects of global warming. They must be preserved. Together with my husband, we have run a native plant nursery for over 40 years, and the greater Gibian family owns a cottage in the higher Blue Mountains, a perfect base for bushwalking there.
This proposal will be a huge construction project which will damage a large area of a national park, which is also listed as a World Heritage site. The proposal makes a mockery of the fundamental concept of a national park, and shows total disdain for the concept of World Heritage listing. The area named in the EIS as likely to be damaged is huge, 1400hectares. This vast area of destruction simply should not happen in an area for which total protection in perpetuity has been promised.
The EIS surveys are inadequate, As an example the surveys of the probable upstream damage area were carried out in a remarkably small percentage of the total area of likely damage. They still identified a vast variety of habitats, current fauna and flora species and aboriginal heritage sites in line for restruction. No amount of offsets, money, purchased credits or whatever can replace the permanent loss of these. I note that representatives of the Gundungara traditioners owners of this area were consuted. However NO premission for this proposal has been given by these traditional owners.
The project is expected to cost billions of dollars. What are the expected benefits which would warrant this expenditure? The dam was opened in 1960, over 60 years ago. Those who live downstream are totally aware of the flood risks in times of persistent heavy rain. They know how react appropriately. They may even benefit after the flooding with increased pasture growth, from good watering and the deposit of plant nutrients. One has to suspect that the government sees this as an increase in land for housing. From past experience this results in huge profits for developers and investers, uninspiring houses on increasingly smaller blocks of land ("little boxes, little boxes full of ticky tacky, and they all look just the same"), inadequate community facilities and virtually no public transport. This is all wrong.
This proposal should be destroyed and burried for good.

I would like to put forward my submission of support for the dam wall raising project. The reason for my support is I live and work on the river. I am a 5th generation to work on my farm and have witnessed first hand the devastation the March 2021 floods. My home and work is from a 180 year old historical barn and to watch the barn be ripped apart was devastating. I also employee over 40 casual kids to work and the floods also stopped the production of work which affected everyone. To also see the animals that lost homes and that were clinging to life was something I will never forget.
Now here we are 8 months later and trying to get things back to normal is still having a major affect to my mental health as well as our financial well being.

To whom it may concern,
I have seen the Environmental Impact Statement for the Warragamba wall raising, (project number SSI-8441) and, as a result I am very opposed to this proposal.
It will cause irreversible damage to nature and cultural heritage sites. The Blue Mountains needs to be protected, I personally love bushwalking and damage to the National Parks would be devastating. It will also greatly impact habitat including endangered species.
The proposal is completely unacceptable.
Many alternatives to raising the dam wall exist, and, in my opinion, should be considered.

To whom it may concern,
I am a Blue Mountains resident, having lived here the majority of my life, and I am entirely opposed to the proposed dam extension.
The area to be flooded is home to known endangered species, and almost certainly home to un-recognised subspecies of both flora and fauna as well, which would be lost to science if the dam extension went ahead.
Furthermore the natural landscape of the Jamison valley (and the available walking trails) that would be lost to flooding or the exclusion area surrounding the dam, would enormously cripple the tourist draw to the area, as would losing the world heritage status, as we are currently in a period of great global interest in eco-tourism.
As we all know, tourism makes up (directly and indirectly) the majority of the Blue Mountains local economy. This is evident in my own work (a mechanical workshop in the lower mountains) being directly impacted whenever a change occurs, as we saw during this year's border closures, and subsequent lockdowns.
Besides the ecological impact and the negative tourism impact, the proposed extension wreaks of political corruption, of protecting the assets of developers. The supposed flood area surrounding the Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers has been shown largely not to be fed by the proposed dam system, and will not make these areas safer to develop.
Finally, while I don't claim to speak for the affected Indigenous Australian communities, it seems unwise in the current social climate to do something so drastically damaging, offensive and irreversibly selfish as to yet again rob the Gundungurra people of their land, cultural identity and sacred landmarks.
Permanently destroying potentially tens of thousands of years of human habitation, to further what is clearly not in anyone's best interest, will put the current government down in history among the worst, most short-sighted ecological, humanitarian and and financial mistakes made by any Australian government in recent history.

To whom it may concern,
We moved to the Blue Mountains 30 years ago, and raised our two, now, adult children here. We were attracted to this area due it's natural beauty and unique array of flora, fauna and indigenous history. As a horticulturist with a interest in native flora, I have loved exploring the local areas on bush walks with family and friends over the decades.
I am greatly concerned by the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall. The impact on the animal and bird populations, the plant communities, the pristine waterways and the important sites for the First Nation people, will be devastating. If the last couple of years has taught us anything, it is that science matters, serious science, not lip service.
I was working at The Botanic Gardens when the Wollemi Pine was found, and it made me realise how little we truly know and understand about our natural environment. The cure to cancer, or other diseases could be waiting to be unlocked in undiscovered plants in the proposed impact areas.
I question any flood mitigation benefits for the Hawkesbury/Nepean floodplain, in fact I fear the outcomes will be worsened by the raising of the dam wall. With greater water flow and housing developments in high risk areas.
We have one chance to get this decision right, or wrong, and this proposal is wrong.

To whom it may concern,

I live in the Kanimbla Valley in Lithgow City Council area, at the Coxs River. I visit the Blue Mountains around Katoomba and Kanangra regularly for bushwalking, including at the Kowmung River.
Regarding raising the dam wall at Warragamba Dam for flood protection, I have two major concerns:
1) inconsistent justification of the proposal
2) substantial and irreversible ecological impacts of in a world-heritage conservation area.

Re 1) The justification for the proposal (EIS Chapter 03) is not only based on protecting existing human settlements in the Hawkesbury River area, but also on projected population growth. The following are verbatim quotes from EIS Chapter 03:
• “2. Establishing the different levels of urban development (population) that could occur in the valley by 2041 under current planning arrangements.” P. 3-2
• “The Greater Sydney Plan sets a 40-year vision (to 2056) and establishes a 20-year plan to manage growth …”
• “Given the forecast increase in population within the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley,” p. 3-6
• “The risk would increase as the number of people, properties and businesses in the catchment increases over time.” P. 3-10
However, this growth is not a given fact, it is a political decision that can but does not have to be implemented. Clearly, if there is a risk of flooding in the area, it would be injudicious, risky and irresponsible to even put more people in harm’s way.
Instead of sacrificing protected natural heritage, legislation should be put in place to prevent further growth of human settlement in this (and other) existing flood plains. Because this is in the hands of legislators, I regard the justification for the proposal as flawed and insufficient. Conservation of natural heritage (highest protection status GBMWHA) for future generations must be worth more than developing a flood plain for short-term benefit.

Re 2): The Blue Mountains World Heritage area is not just a world class National Park, in 2000 it was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list in recognition of its 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.
Threatened species surveys are substantially less than guideline requirements. Where field surveys were not adequately completed, expert reports were not obtained.
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. Therfore, alternative approaches should be given more weight.

Dear Warragamba Dam Assessment Team,
I am a 8 year old who lives in Blaxland, Blue Mountains and i feel very strongly about this. Please listen to my thoughts.
When i grow up i want there to be a world with lots of trees and plants and flowers not with gas every where from factories, and no trees just footpaths.
I cant let you flood warragamba dam you are including flooding a world heritage listed national park. This is ancient history that you are flooding FOR HOUSES.
There are other ways to plan houses.
YOU CAN'T DO THIS. i feel VERY strongly about this. Do not flood, do NOT fLood it please!!!!!!!!!!!!! :( If you do flood it, you will cut down so many trees enough for 150 animals lives are gone and if thats not enough lives of humans are also in trouble for the amount of air their is left.
Im doing every thing a can for that not to happen in my future including…
• I donate over 350 of my pocket money to the WFF world wild life foundation
• when i go on walks i always pick up rubbish id pick up rubbish ANYWHERE
• I recycle anything ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING i can
• I have a few more but im going to leave it there for now
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't flood my city in the Blue Mountains (at warragamba dam)

A statement on whether I support or object to the proposal: I object the proposal

To whom it may concern,
I have watched the systematic destruction of natural and green areas through development. Housing densities have been increased without allowing for adequate green space for the growing population - no increased set backs to allow for street tree planting, no parks or playgrounds within easy walking distance for young families, not even areas to dry clothes in sunshine and fresh air for residents of apartment complexes of all sizes. Green areas and "counryside" have become urban developments and it is necessary to travel further and further to see anything but urbanisation.
It is critical that our wilderness areas be fully protected to allow escape from this manmade built up environment. I have lost many gardens and trees on my walk to the railway station in my suburb, and it is critical to my mental health that I know that the wilderness areas of the the Blue Mountains remain free and fully protected. I need to know that I and future generations can still have access to natural wild rivers like the Kowmung River, where I have bushwalked and camped many times.
World Heritage areas are listed to preserve and protect them. Once destroyed, I fear that it is impossible to replace wilderness areas. Their value is beyond any financial measure and should be sacrosanct. As the population grows, these areas will be under pressure as more people need access to them. They cannot be reduced in any way.
Please do not destroy any wilderness areas by raising the Warrabamba Dam wall. The loss would be irreplacable and not worth any cost.

To whom it may concern, I love to walk in the Blue Mountains. I want my grandchildren to be able to walk in this beautiful wilderness. Please do not raise the Dam Wall.

To whom it may concern,
I am so very much opposed to the raising of the Warragamba Dam Wall.
Not only is this a disaster for the flora and fauna of the area to be affected, it will have very little advantage with regards to flooding in the Nepean Hawkesbury area.
Floods happen in this area even when there is no need to open the spillgates. I believe this push to raise the dam wall is to the benefit of developers, using taxpayers' money so they can profit with little to no benefit for the people of NSW.
Shame on those who push for the raising of the dam wall, using emotive data to make their point!