Warragamba Dam Raising

To whom it may concern,
I am 53 years old, I grew up in Faulconbridge and now overlook the Nepean river from my home in Lapstone, I have lived in the Blue Mountains for most of my life. I have a keen and active interest in the World Heritage National Park that I live within. We are part of this environment and lucky that we can spend our lives passing through this environment, we do not own it, we have a limited time to enjoy it (our lifetime). We should not adversely impact upon it, so that after we have gone, the next generations can enjoy what we have; this is called intergenerational equity. I’m sure that when you speak to most parents, they do not want to leave their children in a situation that is worse off that they found it, rather I find that people generally want to leave their children in a better situation than they found it.
I cannot personally claim any native Australian heritage, that does not mean I cannot appreciate Aboriginal heritage; I believe it is better for them to make their points. However, in considering this point, it would be another shameful event to add to our history should we wilfully allow destruction of their ancestral homeland, artifacts and history.
I am extremely concerned about the lack of foresight shown to date about approval of subdivisions in flood prone areas. This on the back of a 20 year (at least) denial at political level of the effects of climate change in general, and in particular the effect of climate change on our Sydney basin rainwater catchment area. If the reasoning at ministerial level to support the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall has basis from recent decisions by insurance agencies to stop insuring properties against potential flood damage in areas that have been approved for subdivisions or are wanted to be subdivided, I do not believe this is sound reasoning for raising the dam wall. The NSW state government is in a precarious position economically, it is increasingly dependant on land sales to generate income for the State (not to mention gambling however that is discussion for another time). These undeveloped tracts of land are ripe for subdividing, however they are flood prone. Unfortunately, raising the Warragamba Dam wall will NOT prevent flooding in the Hawkesbury / Nepean flood plain. To put it in the most simple terms, the biggest flood recorded was in 1867; there was no Warragamba Dam then. Even if the Warragamba Dam had been in place at that time and been empty before the event, the Hawkesbury / Nepean flood plain would still have flooded, to say otherwise is folly and to demonstrate an total misunderstanding of how this catchment works. The NSW Department of Primary Industries released a report in (2014) that shows flood waters from the Grose River catchment alone can result in moderate to major flood levels of Richmond and the lower Hawkesbury areas. I mentioned the 1867 flood above as the biggest on record; this is LESS than the Probable Maximum Flood Level.
Worse still, a history of floods along the Hawkesbury / Nepean shows that on average, a large flood (less than the 1% AEP or in laymen’s terms 1 in 100 year flood event) happens approximately every 20 years, such as the one that happened this year. Very few politicians stay in politics this length of time, yet any impacts from raising the dam will be felt for centuries to come. What will be the outcome of extreme flooding of houses yet to be built even after the dam wall is raised? If insurance is not available to people who experience a financial disaster, such as losing their house and contents, pro-bono class actions against the State Government have the potential to be cripplingly expensive when this happens. Within the development industry we now have a very good understanding of the areas that are prone to flooding, wilfully ignoring these facts and trying to mount a defence that relies on the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall will not pass muster in a Court of Law. The precautionary principal is that these areas should not be subdivided and housing should not be built on the flood plains.
There is no need to raise the Warragamba Dam wall height to reduce flood waters impacting on existing development. There are other options at less cost to the taxpayer, one of which would be widening the choke points on the Hawkesbury.

save money ans stop raising the dam bourk needs a dam sack lnp loons

To whom it may concern,
My father worked as paymaster for the MWS&D Board when Warragamnbe Dam was being constructed - which means I'm OLD! Too old to be prepared to accept the devastation of world heritage sites that will be caused by raising the dam wall. I agree with the traditional owners, the Gundungurra People that their cultural heritage sites are too important to be inundated. No matter how high the dam wall is built, it cannot sufficiently inhibit the flow of floodwaters outside the dam's intake area. There are better alternatives that would protect existing floodplain communities and be a more cost-effective means of flood risk mitigation.

To whom it may concern,
I wish to make a submission re- Project Number SSI-8441, the proposed raining of the Warragamba Dam wall.
I was born in the township of Windsor NSW and raised in Riverstone. My father's family have strong ties to the area to the point of having a suburb named after them,Schofields.This area was once in the Hawkesbury electorate and I fondly remember long summer days on the river with family and friends, visiting produce farms along the river in an area that was once considered the food bowl for Sydney. These times of my youth allowed me to connect to the land. Now I live in Springwood in the Blue Mountains for over 35years. Here my children were born, educated and now they also live in this area. We feel connected to the mountains and the surrounds. Over the years we have walked the trails through the national park marveling at the trees, wallabies, reptiles that we have the privilege to live so close to. We have visited First Nation Peoples' gathering places and been told of the ceremonies that took place, this has added to our connection to this land.
The proposal to raise Warragamba Dam wall to protect and allow more development on the floodplain is ill thought out. The Hawkesbury Nepean floodplain has always been that - a floodplain - going back to the time that waterway was called Dyarubbin by the original inhabitants. The regular flooding of this area allowed a cleansing of the river system and enhanced fertility of the soils. Now the majority of my family's friends farms have been sold and insanely housing developments have sprung up instead of produce and fruits. Of course these areas will flood, it is the way of the river and those making profits from developments have little thought for homeowners they have sold to. Raising the dam wall will not protect these areas as climate change effects rainfall and removal of vegetation to build with a river view does not allow some of the water to be absorbed. NSW Government plans to have 134,000 new residents on the Hawkesbury Nepean floodplain over the next 30years and needs the dam wall raised to facilitate allowing more revenue to flow into the government's coffers.
Raising the dam wall will impact the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. The World Heritage Area status would be withdrawn due to the damage to natural and cultural areas that would occur with the wall raising. The Blue Mountains area relies on tourism and the inclusion as a World Heritage Site adds to it's international appeal losing this inclusion will have an economic impact in the area.
The areas natural habitat will be affected with raising the dam wall. Healthy Koala colonies will be drowned and after the devastating bushfires of 2019/20 can NSW afford to lose more of our treasured world renowned icon?
From my research I understand a very short amount of time was given to assessing the koala population in the area to be flooded (3.5hrs) and one (1) day assessing the impact to the aquatic life including the endangered platypus. Clearly this is not sufficient time for a full assessment, and this was done prior to the 2019/20 bushfires, numbers and habitats surely would have changed and been impacted post fires.
I feel the First Nation Peoples have not been consulted throughout the proposal development. Destroying cultural heritage sites by raising the dam wall is certainly something we cannot let happen as Australia has allowed big business to do time and again with government approval. These sites give a connection to land and history that surely our First Nation Peoples are entitled to. More consultation with Elders not just studying 27% of the impact area and spending one (1) day in the field. From researching the engineering firm SMEC Engineering, who undertook the environmental and cultural assessments paid by NSW Government, I noted their past record working with indigenous people is poor. This company has worked in developing countries and has been banned from working on World Bank projects in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh. Not the most trustworthy company for our government to employ.
There are a range of alternatives to raising the dam wall which include improving flood evacuation routes, allowing an early release of water from the dam to reduce innundation and of course reducing Hawkesbury Nepean floodplain development. Former NSW SES Dep. Commissioner and flood expert, Chas Keys, has stated that the project is "flawed" and "should not proceed" as no modelling of the stated flood levels and economic benefits of raising the wall are oulined in the assessment. Are we only to listen to opinion that sides with developers and government and not consider experts in the field?
In this submission I have put forward my personal views and scientific evidence that supports the opposition to raising the Warragamba Dam wall. I hope that this proposal will be scrapped so the Kowmung River, one of Australia's declared wild rivers, may continue to run wild, so our endangered wildlife ie.Regent Honeyeater, endangered vegetation ie.Hanging Swamps will be free and safe and that our First Nation Peoples cultural sites will remain sacred.

To whom it may concern,
Please be aware of the following prior to any decision.
• 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.
• 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 integrity of the environmental assessment is fundamentally flawed, and cannot be accepted as a basis for further decision-making by the Minister for Planning.

To whom it may concern,
I'm writing to express my deep concern about the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall.
I'm angry that the government thinks a UNESCO World Heritage environment such as the Blue Mountains National Park is only world heritage until a money making opportunity comes along in Western Sydney for their political donors.
My objections are based on environmental, social and practical considerations.
As someone who has bushwalked along the Kowmung, I am appalled that the government is contemplating flooding this unique pristine waterway, NSW's last remaining wild river. The fact that inundation will be temporary isn't relevant, because the valleys will be flooded for weeks or months, long enough for all the plants to be killed, destroying not only them, but local rare and endangered wildlife, such as the Regent Honeyeater, and Sydney's last remaining emu population, that depends on them.
NSW cannot afford to lose this last clean riverine environment and its wildlife.
I also object to the loss and desecration of First Nations sacred sites which are abundant in the area, numbering in the hundreds. The current dam has already robbed local Aboriginal people of their homes, their land and their stories across the Burragorang Valley and enough is enough.
In addition, this proposed destruction will not even fully prevent flooding in the Hawkesbury Nepean floodplain.
The flat plain in the region the government is proposing to develop is a floodplain and simply should never be opened for urban development. Photographs show that flood indicators go as high as four metres across that plain. The crowding of houses in the typical cheap developments that Western Sydney has had dumped on it by developers would mean escape from a significant flood would be difficult for the community, and property damage would run to hundreds of millions of dollars in a flood. But the proposed raising of the dam wall would not protect people from such a flood event. Research has shown that up to 45% of floodwaters in that region come from other rivers.
Alternative plans to opening this area simply haven't been investigated closely enough in this headlong rush to pander to developers.
A floodplain should simply never be developed for housing, and the lack of responsible planning on behalf of the government in providing adequate housing across Sydney beggars belief. It's just sheer laziness on government's side to open this area up. This government lacks the vision and foresight to plan properly across the Sydney Basin, basically allowing themselves to be developer and industry driven. The pressure this puts on local communities is damaging the social fabric of our society, in this case will threaten lives and livelihoods and it's got to stop.
The raising of the dam wall will not solve the housing problem, just add to it. It must not go ahead.

So many reasons to reject this, none valid to proceed with it

The raising of the dam levels will destroy First Nations land and artefacts.

I object to this project for the following reasons
- it is based on an out of date EIS conducted before the 2019 bushfires
- it is not clear that it will prevent flooding in the areas which have flooded in the past
- it will impact endangered NSW wildlife which have been further threatened already since the EIS was undertaken
- this is a knee jerk reaction which requires much more consideration and environmental planning
- this is one of the remaining areas of bushland adjacent to Sydney and is critical for a number of species. The Blue Mountains National Park is a home to much important wildlife and the impact of the flooding related to the dam wall needs careful and appropriate consideration.
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 vanda

Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission regarding this project proposal.
Please find my submission attached.

See attachment

I am writing to object to the Warragamba Dam Raising. My reason for objecting is the irreversible damage to the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park, by flooding above the wall that will destroy vast amounts of flora and fauna, risking extinction of threatened species such as the Regent honeyeater. This is in complete contrast to the commitment made by the NSW Minister for the Environment, Matt Kean, for zero extinction. Raising the wall will also destroy important Aboriginal sites of cultural significance, and no consent has been obtained from the traditional owners. Both the Federal and NSW governments have committed to protecting the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area forever, yet this project will damage the environmental and cultural value of the area. Paying biodiversity offsets can in no way replace or repair the damage caused to the environment in this World Heritage Area.
History shows that half the flooding of the flood plains is caused by rivers outside of the Warragamba catchment and therefore raising the dam wall will have no ability to mitigate the risk of flood from these rivers. Further development on the floodplains will consequently still be at considerable risk of flooding even if the Dam wall was to be raised.

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to express my unequivocal opposition to the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall (project number SSI-8441). I have never made any political donations, including in the last two years.

I am a general practitioner living and working in the lower Blue Mountains. I have previously lived and worked in the western suburbs of Sydney and, as such, have an affinity to both areas. Easy access to the national parks was a key factor in my decision to move to the Blue Mountains and I always have a sense of pride taking visiting friends and family to the beautiful sites that the Blue Mountains have to offer.

I am very concerned by the negative environmental, social, and cultural impacts that raising the Warragamba Dam wall would have. It is my understanding that the proposal would result in the intermittent inundation of 5,700 hectares of National Parks and 1,300 hectares of World Heritage Area, including habitat for koala and emu populations, as well as the critically endangered regent honeyeater. To my knowledge, no field surveys for threatened species have been undertaken since the devastating Black Summer Bushfires of 2019/2020, which saw massive loss of wildlife across the state; some modelling indicates that koalas will be extinct in the wild in NSW by 2050. In this context, the preservation of National Parks and World Heritage Areas is now more important than ever. I have no doubt that if the proposal is followed through with, it will be reflected upon by future generations with the level of incredulity with which we currently reflect upon the deliberate introduction of cane toads to Australia.

It is also my understanding that the proposal would result in the inundation of 1,500 Indigenous cultural heritage sites. Particularly following the very justified backlash which Rio Tinto faced following the blasting of Indigenous sites and artefacts, I believe it would be in very poor taste for the NSW Government to knowingly follow through with the proposal.

I am aware that the Warragamba River is one of five rivers that feed the Hawkesbury-Nepean and as such, it is contentious whether the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall would in fact adequately mitigate flood risks. It is my understanding that there are alternative flood mitigation strategies available that would avoid the negative environmental and cultural impacts outlined above. I implore the NSW Government to follow expert advice and the voices of their constituents, rather than (as cynics may believe) the desires of property developers seeking financial gain.

There are suggestions that the NSW Government intends to increase the population of the Hawkesbury-Nepean area by 134,000 people over the next 30 years, a plan to be facilitated by the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall. Having previously worked as a doctor in both the inner west and outer west of Sydney, I am well aware of the health and social inequities faced by residents in western Sydney and I fear that the planned growth in this area will further exacerbate these inequities. I strongly believe that resources should be directed toward public infrastructure, rather than facilitating an untenable population boom in an already under-resourced area.

I hope to raise a family in the future and I hope that they will be able to enjoy the privileges which I have enjoyed, including access to unique natural wonders such as those found within the Blue Mountains. I trust that the concerns which I have outlined above, and the concerns of many likeminded constituents, will be appropriately considered.

Yours sincerely,
Dr Jialiang Chin

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to express my utmost opposition to the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall (project number SSI-8441). I have never made any political donations including in the last two years.

I am a general practitioner living and working in the lower Blue Mountains and I also grew up in the area. I have previously lived and worked in the western suburbs of Sydney and, as such, have an affinity to both areas. Easy access to the national parks was a key factor in my decision to move back to the Blue Mountains and I always have a sense of pride taking visiting friends and family to the beautiful sites that the Blue Mountains have to offer.

I am very concerned by the negative environmental, social, and cultural impacts that raising the Warragamba Dam wall would have. It is my understanding that the proposal would result in intermittent inundation of 5,700 hectares of National Parks and 1,300 hectares of World Heritage Area, including habitat for koala and emu populations, as well as the critically endangered regent honeyeater. To my knowledge, no field surveys for threatened species have been undertaken since the devastating Black Summer Bushfires of 2019/2020, which saw massive loss of wildlife across the state; some modelling indicates that koalas will be extinct in the wild in NSW by 2050. In this context, the preservation of National Parks and World Heritage Areas is now more important than ever. I have no doubt that if the proposal is followed through with, it will be reflected upon by future generations with the level of incredulity with which we currently reflect upon the deliberate introduction of cane toads to Australia.

It is also my understanding that the proposal would result in the inundation of 1,500 Indigenous cultural heritage sites. Particularly following the very justified backlash which Rio Tinto faced following the blasting of Indigenous sites and artefacts, I believe it would be in very poor taste for the NSW Government to knowingly follow through with the proposal.

I am aware that the Warragamba River is one of five rivers that feed the Hawkesbury-Nepean and as such, it is contentious whether the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall would in fact adequately mitigate flood risks. It is my understanding that there are alternative flood mitigation strategies available that would avoid the negative environmental and cultural impacts outlined above. I implore the NSW Government to follow expert advice and the wishes of their constituents, rather than (as cynics may believe) the desires of developers seeking financial gain.

There are suggestions that the NSW Government intends to increase the population of the Hawkesbury-Nepean area by 134,000 people over the next 30 years, a plan to be facilitated by the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall. Having previously worked as a doctor in the inner west of Sydney, I am well aware of the health and social inequities faced by residents in western Sydney and I fear that the planned growth in this area will further exacerbate these inequities. I strongly believe that resources should be directed toward public infrastructure, rather than facilitating an untenable population boom in an already under-resourced area.

I hope to raise a family in the future and I hope they will be able to enjoy the privileges which I have enjoyed, including access to unique natural wonders such as those found within the Blue Mountains. I trust that the concerns which I have outlined above, and the concerns of many likeminded constituents will be appropriately considered.

Yours sincerely,
Dr Inkeri D’Arcy-Clarke

Submission – Warragamba Dam Raising Project – SSI8441 – Jennifer Coffey - Narwee 2209
I strongly oppose the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall as proposed in the EIS.
I oppose the dam raising because it will cause extended flooding of large areas of World Heritage listed National Park upstream of the raised dam wall, leading to the degradation and destruction over time of significant habitat for many threatened species including important breeding habitat for the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater. This is important to me because as a birdwatcher I am aware of how few Regent Honeyeaters there are left in the wild. After trying for several years to see a regent honeyeater, I was very lucky to see a one of these strikingly beautiful birds on the South Coast. It was a lone bird in a flock of little wattlebirds, and it was so confused it was calling like a little wattlebird. How sad to not be able to find other members of your species to hang out with. Given the dire predicament of Regent Honeyeaters as so much other habitat has been destroyed by bushfires, it is completely unacceptable to flood prime habitat upstream of Warragamba Dam where dozens of birds are known to breed. I know it takes decades for tree plantings to grow and restore suitable habitat. So no amount of biodiversity offsets will be able to make up for the loss of bird habitat due to the dam wall raising, because the displaced birds can't wait decades for new habitat to grow.
There will be other negative environmental impacts of the dam raising project. The Warragamba Dam area will be a construction site for many years; upstream inundation will lead to more sediments entering the dam and more dying and dead vegetation along the shores will emit greenhouse gases. Culturally important land for the indigenous community will be flooded. Bushwalking routes will be impacted. I don't think a intermittent flooding problem downstream should be mitigated by intermittently flooding land upstream of the dam. The flood plain downstream is adapted to flooding whereas the land upstream of the dam has never been flooded. The dam raising proposal is environmentally unacceptable.
In lieu of the Warragamba Dam Raising Project, Sydney Water could achieve the same amount of downstream flood mitigating control by keeping 12m of existing dam level for flood control. The amount of money used on raising the wall could be used to build better elevated roads and bridges over the flood plain as flooded roads and bridges are the main problem when there is downstream flooding. Downstream flooding will still occur even if the wall is raised. Flooding will still result from floodwaters that arise in the lower catchment and from occasional spillovers of even a raised wall, so it would then seem to be a better spend of money to improve roads and bridges and levees and plant trees in the lower catchments to mitigate flooding then to spend it on a technically challenging dam wall raising. For instance, in relation to the Shoalhaven River and Tallowa Dam, better roads and bridges near Berry made it possible for me to travel on the Princes Highway through the area during two recent flooding episodes when on previous episodes before the road upgrades I had to detour via Kangaroo Valley.
I think the EIS has failed to fully consider all the environmental impacts of the dam project, alternative options to raising the wall and all the economic cost/benefit issues. Sydney simply can't build on more of the floodplain no matter what developers might want and will be tempted to do if the wall is raised. More building on floodplains only leads to more people affected by inevitable flooding events and rising insurance costs for everyone.
In particular, I consider the project's biodiversity offsets strategy for the critical Regent Honeyeater habitat is not going to work to save the local population and the species. I strongly oppose the dam raising and encourage more consideration to exploring alternative options to flood mitigation.

To whom it may concern,
I am a long time resident of the Blue Mountains and am horrified at the thought of what raising of the wall will do to the the environment above the dam. We need to respect our world and the culture and Aboriginal rights and history. I have been bushwalking in the mountains for many years and do not want to see this wonderful area destroyed by greed and short sided views. Please do not raise the wall.

To whom it may concern,
I am appalled at the prospect of raising the wall of Warragamba dam. It flies in the face of all legislation to protect the environment and threatens several Australian native species of plants and animals with extinction through loss of habitat. It also threatens low-lying communities on the flood plain below the dam with far greater consequences than hitherto.

To whom it may concern,
I have reviewed the ACHAR and heritage assessment and I am deeply concerned that the risk assessment was downgraded after 'mitigation measures' were taken into account. From the ACHAR it is clear that the Gundungarra people do not see what any of the proposed mitigation measures are likely to reduce the risk of irreversible damage to their cultural heritage. Theirs are the voices that matter and it just does not matter if anyone else thinks they're not being practical or realistic or anything like that. I implore the government for once to say no to developers and the like who will ultimately make money from the wall raising and protect the cultural heritage of the Gundungurra people, and the world heritage values of the national park.

To whom it may concern,
I would like to oppose to the proposal to raise the warragamba dam wall.
I feel privileged to live in the blue mountains for 30 years, a world heritage area home to unique flora and fauna many of them threatened, and the container of many cultural heritage sites. And I don’t want any of these treasures to be affected or lost forever by the inundation tha the rise of the dam wall will cause.
While I support the protection of the flood plain communities I don’t believe the environmental assessment has been thorough enough neither alternative options to raising the dam wall have been sufficiently explored.
Let’s abandon the proposed raising of the dam wall and make this Department of Planning go in history as the one who saved our unique environment

To whom it may concern,
I am opposed to the Government's proposed raising of the Warragamba dam wall.
I am a longtime resident of Blackheath and have been a long-term supporter of the creation of the Blue Mountains World Heritage listing, which the dam wall proposal now threatens.
It is based on a dubious and outdated EIS that ignores or downplays the ecological, cultural and economic impacts of the dam raising.
Even if it went ahead the floodplains on the Nepean-Hawkesbury would remain flood-prone, given that nearly half the flood nwaters related to areas outside the dam catchment.
The Government has not seriously considered alternative (and less costly) proposals to mitigate flooding and its effects in the affected areas.
With the effects of climate change becoming increasingly severe, Sydney needs to retain as much surrounding bushland as possible to protect catchments and store carbon.
Typically, the Government has not engaged in respectful consultations with local First Nations' peoples whose Country will be laid waste by the dam wall's raising.
For all these reasons, I hope that this ill-conceived, reckless and dangerous proposal will be shelved permanently.