Warragamba Dam Raising

To whom it may concern,
Please don't destroy our natural heritage. This is a beautiful place, full of crutial habitat and cultural sites. It should not be destroyed. We are the custodians of this land for future generations. We need to protect it. Once it is gone, it is gone forever and the consequences are for reaching.
I understand that Sydney needs water, but we can ensure future water supply by managing the water we currently have by, for example, changing habits and reusing waste water. Invest in these long term, sustainable strategies rather than short term, profit driven 'fixes'.
Our govenment has a responsibility to preserve this area for future generations. Raising the dam wall is irresponsible and, in my opinion, criminal!

To whom it may concern,
I oppose to the decision to raising the warragamba dam wall.

Please do not allow Warragmba to be raised as it's too environmentally damaging.

To whom it may concern,
5 December 2021
Submission re. Raising of the Warragamba Dam Wall
To Whom it may concern,
I wish to register my strong opposition to the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall.
I live in the Blue Mountains and have walked extensively throughout the areas that constitute the Lake Burragorang catchment areas over the last 35years or so. I know the rivers that will be affected by this proposal, having walked many of them including the Nattai, Wollondilly, The Kowmung and Cox’s, Kedumba and many of their tributaries. These are magical places, in most instances looking much as they did before “white fella’s” invaded these lands.
I think most people familiar with the Greater Blue Mountains National Park thought World Heritage listing would finally protect it from any potential development threats. Sadly, we were mistaken. It was perhaps naive to think the value of a pristine World Heritage listed NP would take precedence over the potential financial profits from developing the vast floodplain of the Nepean River. Evidence to that intention was clearly expressed by the minister for Western Sydney and now Deputy Premier, Stuart Ayres in a Channel Nine interview some time ago and more recently confirmed by The Emergency Services Minister, David Elliot in a Triple M radio interview. It’s no secret that the Development lobby is hard at work encouraging the approval and completion of the project as soon as possible.
Housing development should not occur on flood plains and no amount of dam building will ever provide a safe environment. The insurance industry knows that and it’s inevitable that housing on the floodplain will become uninsurable at some point in the future, particularly in the Penrith Lakes area.
It’s estimated that more than 45% of floodwater originates outside the areas upstream of the Warragamba Dam. Clearly, whilst reducing the frequency of flooding in the Penrith area it won’t prevent it and has little effect on areas downstream.
The NSW government plans to almost double the population of the Hawkesbury Nepean flood plain by 2050. Presumably most of the development will occur on land above the 1% flood level, however, far larger floods have been recorded historically and it’s inevitable that they will occur again. Raising the Warragamba dam wall won’t prevent flooding and the likely increase in population will inevitably result in far greater carnage than would currently occur.
Environmental Impact Statement
The engineering company chosen to undertake the EIS into cultural and environmental values, SMEC Engineering, has a consistent record around the world of abusing indigenous culture and disregarding environmental constraints in the interest of providing clients with advice to suit their intentions. I’m sure details of the company have been revealed in other submissions, so I won’t waste my time elaborating.
A draft of a 2019 EIS obtained by the ABC shows quite clearly that many of the initial conclusions noted by the lead ecologist at the time, Rachel Musgrave, have subsequently undergone significant changes. In the September 2019 draft EIS, all likely damage from upstream inundation was considered to be a direct consequence of raising the dam wall. The ecologist responsible for the report found that:
Up to half the remaining critically endangered Regent Honeyeater population would likely be impacted.
28 species of threatened animals, including 9 mammals and thousands of hectares of threatened ecological communities.
The ecologist estimated the cost of providing suitable environmental offsets at 2.88 billion dollars.
The final EIS now considers all upstream impacts to be “off site” and therefore indirect consequences of the project. That is clearly ridiculous, as the locations to eventually suffer inundation and therefore ecological collapse are known precisely and compensation should not be left for a future and hopefully, more responsible government to pay.
The extent of occasional inundation of the pristine wild rivers and streams flowing into Lake Burragorang will effectively destroy around 65 km’s of highly significant streamside vegetation and inevitably replace it with invasive weeds.
A second ecologist, Ross Crates, an expert on the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater found 21 birds and 7 nests during a survey of around 20% of the proposed impact site. Considering the estimated population is only around 350 birds left in the wild, this represents almost a third of the entire population.
The environmental consequences of this proposal are appalling and are indicative of the governments complete disregard for nature conservation in NSW.
Aboriginal Cultural heritage
The NSW government has refused to seek consent from the traditional owners, the Gundungurra People and little attempt has been made to survey the area. Only 25% of the site has been surveyed and that alone found more than 300 cultural sites.
I thoroughly object to the proposed raising of the Warragmba Dam. There are several alternative options and they should be persued.

To whom it may concern,
Raising the height of the Warragamba Dam would have immense and long lasting impacts on our iconic world heritage area. Please consider the information in the link below and stop with this plan.
theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/29/nsw-governments-assessment-of-raising-warragamba-dam-wall-totally-inadequate-critics-say

To whom it may concern,
I have been a Blue Mountains resident since 1981 and know how privileged I am to live in such a beautiful place.
I am active in community, social and environmental protection groups and live ASAP = As Sustainably As Possible, in every way I can. So I'm used to thinking about my personal impact on the environment.
I oppose the raising of the level of the Warragamba Dam because of the obvious destructive impact it would have on the environment - the river, the plant and animal species, and the sacred indigenous sites, whose custodians, the Gundungurra, have not been fully consulted.
We waste a helluva lot of water these days. We take it for granted, which is very foolish. By learning to live now with what we've already got, without adding to the destruction we've already caused, we will be doing our children, and future generations, a big favour.

To whom it may concern,
Please don't raise the wall of Warragamba Dam. Save the Jamieson Valley. I hike into the area regularly and cannot imagine it under water.

To whom it may concern,
The proposal to raise the dam is short term viewed and without thought for future generations. The report contains flaws and does not allow appropriately for consideration of long term potential impact on the inadequate management of flooding.

The impact on Aboriginal heritage sites and endangered flora and fauna should be assessed as there is no price that can be placed on the loss of these types of sites. What example do we set for future generations if this is not considered openly, respectfully and with honesty!!

I urge the State Government to consider alternatives, to protect our wilderness areas, wildlife and Aboriginal heritage - they are the future - they send the correct message for the future and these issues must be addressed.

I do not support the raising of the Warragamba Dam Wall - the government must do the right thing and protect our future with a long term view.

To: DPE Warragamba Dam EIS Mailbox <[email protected]>
Subject: Submission – Warragamba Dam Raising Project – SSI-8441 – Sally Wilson, Bilgola Plateau, 2107



To whom it may concern,

I have always loved the tracks and open spaces of the Blue Mountains, we are so fortunate to have this protected space close to Sydney for everyone to enjoy.

I have friends who live just at the start of the Blue Mountains at Kurrajong Heights they have seen first- hand the rapid almost rampant development in the western Sydney area just at the base of the mountains.

To raise the dam wall just to "protect" future development on a flood plain is in my opinion....madness.

I must say NO to raising the dam wall.

In Lismore in the far north coast, they allowed development on a flood plain, well it did not survive a flood, the council had to rethink building on a flood plain...not a good idea.

So, why are you doing this to allow more building on a flood plain, can you hold back the water if and when there is a really a big flood, the dam gets too full and has to be released??

The cultural sites that this increased dam level would drown as well as the World Heritage national park, a UNESCO listed and recognised, must be protected.

Is all this going to be ignored as well, because it is too late once it is under water it is gone for good!



Yours sincerely,
Sally Wilson
18 Algona Street
Bilgola Plateau, 2107, New South Wales

I am deeply concerned about the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam Wall, and am opposed to it. I was born in Penrith and have lived for decades in the Blue Mountains and feel a personal connection with the Hawkesbury/Penrith/Blue Mountains areas, and am an avid Bushwalker. It is not only for personal reasons, but for the following factual reasons that I am opposed to it being raised.
The dam wall has already been raised and a spillway constructed to make the dam safe from any flood. What is proposed now would increase the dam's storage capacity by another 50% or enough storage to fill Sydney Harbour twice.
12 metre spillway causes the most damage
A higher spillway will hold all small and medium floods behind the dam wall for several weeks. The submerged vegetation will die, leaving a scarred landscape of silt and dead trees to be infested by weeds after the waters subside.
Famous Blue Mountains World Heritage listed wild rivers will be ruined. The denuded area shown below is revealed when water levels in the dam are low.
Raising the dam wall will push this tidemark of degradation many kilometres upstream into spectacular wilderness valleys.
Denuded Area (Kazan Brown)
Warragamba Dam already provides flood mitigation. With smarter use and no new storage capacity, floodwater could be better managed. Raising the dam wall ignores this potential and is a waster of $700 million.
A future government could easily use the raised dam wall to hold water permanently and increase Sydney water storage.
The Impact
Current Lake Surface Area - 7,300ha
New Lake Surface Area - 12,300ha
Wilderness Area Destroyed - 1,800ha
World Heritage Submerged - 1,000ha
National Parks Lost - 4,700ha
Adverse Impacts
• Fragments and degrades two World Heritage list wilderness national parks
• Degrades world famous scenery of the southern Blue Mountains
• Reduces rare biodiversity, including 40% of the Nationally threatened Camden White Gum forest
• Aboriginal cultural heritage destroyed – see detail below.
• Loss of classic bushwalking areas, historic campsites drowned and access restricted
• Further urban sprawl on the floodplain and degradation to the Hawkesbury-Nepean River.
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.
A better solution is to lower the full supply level for flood mitigation. This provides most of the benefits of the proposed dam wall raising and respects our international obligations to protect World Heritage.
Alternative options were not comprehensively assessed in the EIS. Any assessment of alternatives does not take into account the economic benefits that would offset the initial cost of implementation.
On average, 45% of floodwaters are derived from areas outside of the upstream Warragamba Dam catchment. This means that no matter how high the dam wall is constructed, it will not be able to prevent flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley downstream.
Over 1541 identified cultural heritage sites would be inundated by the Dam proposal. The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment Report has been severely and repeatedly criticised by both the Australian Department of Environment and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) for not appropriately assessing cultural heritage in meaningful consultation with Gundungurra community members.
There have been concerning failures of the EIS.
• The engineering firm (SMEC Engineering) who undertook the environmental and cultural assessments for the project have an established history abusing Indigenous rights, recently being barred from the world bank.
• 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.
For all these reasons I urge that the dam wall proposal be dropped.

Please see attached submission.
The EIS has failed to address the importance of the Burragorang to Gundungurra people and all that is in it - our Cultural Lands, Artefact, Rock Art sites, Native medicine plants and Water holes as well as everything that lives within Burragorang. We will never agree to destroying even one of our sites Now or in the Future.
Regards Sharyn Halls Gundungurra Elder

Please see my attachment.

I am making a submission - on behalf of the members of the Blue Mountains Community Interagency, which MCRN convenes and auspices, and on behalf of the Blue Mountains community - objecting to the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall.

I grew up in the western suburbs over sixty years ago. The rich soils provided produce and stock for Sydney. Floods occurred from year to year because the area is flood plain. We all knew this and worked around it. Housing was banned in flood prone areas.

Over time inappropriate over development has been allowed. Areas of open space such as the flood plain have been repurposed for housing development. The precious natural environment should not be used to pay the price new homeowner face from unaffordable insurance premiums. They bought knowing the risk of flooding. Why should tax payers be slugged to protect the vested interests of the NSW parliament now shown to be driven by conflicts of interest. Raising the dam wall may flood precious open space and wilderness to allow grotesque urban development across a flood plain. If the idea is to improve the lot of new home buyers relocation would be cheaper and more environmentally effective while protecting recreation in places traditionally available to anyone in Sydney. Indigenous heritage and wildlife (including native plants, orchids, ground cover) cannot be transplanted. Disgusting cheap domestic architecture is highly replaceable and not precious. The subject residences have a short lifespan of twenty/thirty years. No one cries when they go, but there will be a profound loss if the Warragamba valley is flooded. Shame on this government for even considering it.

The proposed raising of Warragamba Dam wall is at best a "band-aid" solution to a flood mitigation problem. Once the dam is full of flood waters, the remainder will simply make its way downstream and cause the flooding it's trying to prevent. Look at the Three Gorges Dam in China - massive downstream flooding and a real fear of dam collapse. The proposed urbanisation of the Windsor/Richmond flood Plains is to put it mildly, very foolish and a case of seriously misguided developers putting profit ahead of of sanity.
As an equally important consideration, the inundation of the lower Kowmung and Cox's Rivers will permanently destroy precious environmental assets. It is my contention that once the river system is inundated, there will be inexorable pressure to keep the water level high to supplement the water supply system. Even if the inundation of these precious World Heritage Areas is temporary, the environmental damage will be horrendous.
I say a big NO to this destructive and ill-advised project.

To whom it may concern,
Dear Sirs,

As a person who has used national parks every day of my adult life I emplore you not to flood the land with the raising of the dam.

I do not believe that the proposal has Sydney's best interests are heart. I believe this proposal is a poor choice and will make housing more uninsurable due to the flooding that will still occur down stream.

I want the aboriginal lands here kept in tact, and to preserve vital habitat for the regent honey eaters.

I also want to walk these lands and rivers. I don't want to kayak them.

To whom it may concern,
Destroying the nation park will do nothing to stop the flooding down stream. It will. make it worse as it will make image cha Ge worse with more heat and more flooding. Ca t put the park. back. Plants animals sce ary and aboriginal sites gone forever.
Stop building on flood plains
Modify. buildng structures roads paths a d make porous surfaces instead. Make ponds a d plantings to soak water a d cool area as well.

To whom it may concern,
I would like to register my opposition to the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall. Please add my vote against this proposal to the many who object to the loss of so much of our Workd Heritage listed national park.