To whom it may concern,
I write to oppose the porposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall.
The environmental and heritage damage that would be done is unacceptable.
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.
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.
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.

To whom it may concern,
Over the past 3 years I have followed what has been written in the papers about raising the dam wall. I was astounded to read that at a cost of $1,000,000,000 this would protect 5,000 residences. This means $200,000 per residence. Are there alternatives? With weather forcasting more accurate than in the past if the dam is thought to be full, water could be released before large downpours. Sydney has had a desalination plant built and will probably need another. Where will the money from this desalination plant come from? What can be done for people who built their home in the floodplains? Is dam wall raising the one and only option available? It seems so. As a resident of the Blue Mountains I care about the National Park nearby. It is beautiful, unique and world renown. Let us keep it so. Thank you

To whom it may concern,
I am very distressed to think that you will be raising the dam wall. I have learnt to love the Blue Mountains and its beauty. It is a heritage area, one that should not be threatened when it is avoidable. Whilst I live on the South Coast I do go to the Blue Mountains for festivals and bushwalking. I love coming up for this.
The recent bushfires have had a huge impact in the area. We don't even know how badly it has impacted but it was a huge fire!!!! Loss of wildlife and habitat that will be made worse by raising the wall. We have the same difficulties here following the fires. The same problems with destruction of waterways and flood plains. We have to address this in more constructive ways.
There are other alternatives to raising the dam that have not been properly assessed- we can do that!
It's a worry because the engineering company that was used is of concern, the integrity of the environmental studies is questionable, the Indigenous peoples concerns are not addressed and it is a world heritage cultural site that should be preserved.
Thank you for attending to these concerns.

To whom it may concern,
I grew up in the Blue Mountains and my mother still lives there. It's a unique area of NSW that's recognised as having significance on a national and international scale through its World Heritage listing.
I oppoose this proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall to facilitate more housing on the Western Sydney floodplain. Raising the dam wall will threaten upwards of 1540 identified Aboriginal cultural heritage sites (and there has been a paucity of consultation with the Gundungurra Traditional Owners); inundate the wild Kowmung River; and threaten ecological communities especially the habitat of the Regent Honey eater and emus.
There are alternatives to protect existing residential communities on the Western Sydney floodplain that would cost less and prevent flooding into the long-term. These options should be properly assessed and taken to consultation with the community prior to any construction of the dam wall.

I object to the raising of Warragamba Dam. This appears to have a political and developers dream. How can the NSW people and government allow an EIS assessment undertaken by a company who are barred from the world bank. Therefore environmental and cultural assessments for the project can be taken with the established history of this company for abusing Indigenous rights, recently as being skewed to suit the 'money' who pays it. I worry about the sheer greed of a project like this to ignore Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, the threatening of wildlife and loss trees and a faulty environmental assessment. This area is part of The World Heritage listings. At risk are wilderness rivers and National Parks - the Kowmung River - Camden White Gum - Grassy Box Woodland the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater and the last Emu population in the area. The concept of raising the dam wall to prevent flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley is flawed. Kind regards Maeve Platt

To whom it may concern,
As someone who grew up in the Blue Mountains it shocks me to hear that this government is considering extending the dam wall, further damaging precious ecosystems and sacred cultural sites, wild rivers and threatening the critically endangered 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 blatantly ignores these obligations and favours overdevelopment of Western flood plains. If floodplains have already been dangerously overdeveloped then the government needs to compensate owners and buy back this land. If these flood plains are yet to be developed then they should be left undeveloped and managed as green corridors and wetlands.
The EIS was completed before the catastrophic 2019/20 Bushfires which burnt 81% of the Greater Blue Mountains. Those fires changed the the Blue Mountains and drove many species to the brink of local extinction. The EIS is inadequate and 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.
I oppose the extension to the Dam. I believe other flood mitigation strategies need to be explored.

To whom it may concern,
I am writing to oppose the plan to raise the Warragamba Dam wall. Not only is this a pointless waste of money in terms of flood mitigation but the impact on the wildlife and indigenous cultural artifacts would be devastating.
How much more habitat needs to be destroyed so that greedy people can build cheap and ugly black roofed houses to make a quick buck?
Shameful!!
We have a chance to conserve our wild places for future generations to enjoy and for the health of our planet. I want my grandchildren to be able to walk in the beautiful places that would be flooded by raising the wall, as I have had the pleasure of doing for many years.
Raising the dam wall would be a costly and ultimately appalling mistake.
At the very least a proper Environmental Impact study, and consultation with Traditional owners, needs to occur before any decision is made.

Dear Sir/Madam
RE: Warragamba Dam Raising Project – SSI -8441
Please find attached the Friends of Ku-ring-gai Environment Inc. submission.
Friends of Ku-ring-gai Environment (FOKE) welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Warragamba Dam Raising Project.

It is FOKE’s view that the Warragamba Dam Raising Project is ill advised and needs to be immediately abandoned because it will:
• place the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA) ‘in danger’
• destroy Gundungarra heritage
• fail as a flood mitigation project

FOKE was founded in 1994 to promote, protect and enhance the Ku-ring-gai local government area’s environment and heritage. It proudly follows the tradition laid down by many past Ku-ring-gai conservation pioneers who advocated for Greater Sydney’s environment, including Western Sydney and the Greater Blue Mountains.

These Ku-ring-gai conservation pioneers include:
• Eccleston Du Faur (1832-1915) who contributed to protecting the Blue Mountains’ Grose Valley before working to establish Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in 1894.
• Annie Forsyth Wyatt (1885-1961) who founded the National Trust (NSW) in 1945 that today has properties in Western Sydney (Old Government House and Experiment Farm Cottage) and in the Blue Mountains (Norman Lindsay Gallery & Museum, Woodford Academy and Everglades House and Garden).
• Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean (1879-1968) who led the Parks and Playground Movement’s call for protected green, open spaces, bushland reserves and national parks across Greater Sydney including the Nepean-Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains area.
• Paddy Pallin AM (1900-1991) bushwalking and camping equipment retailer and founding member of the National Parks Association of NSW that was instrumental in creating the NPWS Act (1967) that led to the gazettal of the Blue Mountains national parks including the Kanangra-Boyd National Park.
• Alex Colley (1909-2014) secretary of the Colong Foundation for Wilderness and FOKE member who worked to ensure the Greater Blue Mountains was World Heritage Area in 2000.

FOKE calls on the NSW Government to immediately abandon the Warragamba Dam Raising Project.
FOKE also calls on the Federal Government to intervene if the NSW Government decides to proceed with the Warragamba Dam Raising Project as required by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. If the Federal Government does not intervene in this project then every world heritage site in Australia is under risk.