To whom it may concern,
I am strongly opposed to the raising of the Warragamba Dam for the following reasons:
• The Blue Mountains World Heritage Area is an internationally recognised. Treasure. It is a place that I have enjoyed many times over my life. In particular, a place I visited regularly when I lived in Sydney, for what we called “spiritual revival” from the city life.
• The damage to natural and cultural values caused by raising the wall of the dam would be a clear breach Australia’s obligations under the World Heritage Convention.
• 1,300 hectares within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, would be inundated by the Dam project. This would severely impact on rivers, trees, vegetation and wildlife habitat, which would all be at risk – much of this recognised as having outstanding value in World Heritage Listings.
• The lack of proper environmental assessments and modelling by SMEC Engineering is in keeping with their bad reputation for abusing indigenous rights. They have been barred from the World Bank.
• The lack of proper assessment of more suitable options for flood risk mitigations.

To whom it may concern,
I strongly oppose the proposal to raise the wall of Warragamba Dam for flood mitigation.
I have long lived in the Blue Mountains, working for protection of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heriage Area and bushwalking in the area. I know well some of the rivers to be impacted by stored floodwaters, such as the Coxs and Kowmung, and how these rivers are the heart and lifeblood of the southern Blue Mountains wilderness.
My objection to the proposal is based on a number of grounds:
1. impact on critical natural values including national parks, the World Heritage Area, declared wilderness, native and threatened species and wild catchments;
2. the appalling precedent it would create for damaging these established values;
3. support for Aboriginal groups who are set to suffer yet more disrespect and destruction of their heritage, at a time Australian governments are reviewing the disgraceful record of destruction and considering stronger potections;
4. the many shortcomings of the EIS which fails to properly assess and consider these impacts;
5. the existence of viable alternatives for flood protection, compared with the only partial protection provided by floodwater retention in Lake Burragorang.
Fundamentally, the level of impacts proposed is outrageous and unnecessary, especially at this point in history when the protection of our natural areas and Indigenous heritage is more critical than ever, and we need to learn to live within natural constraints rather than destroying more and more as the first response.
To whom it may concern,
I have worked and walked in the Greater Blue Mountains for 40 years and I'm personally familiar with the environment of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area including the region surrounding Lake Burragorang. As a former national park officer and current environmental consultant, nature photographer and bushwalker I am also well informed on the environmental issues and values of this area.
I oppose the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall for flood mitigation on two principal grounds:
1. Impacts on the upstream environment. Temporary inundation of natural areas (inc. GBMWHA, declared wilderness, a wild river, national parks and state conservation areas) will have significant impacts on vegetation, fauna, Aboriginal heritage and natural values. The methodology used by the EIS to assess these impacts is flawed in many respects. By using unproven methodology it fails to adequately establish the extent and duration of inundation, and hence the quantum of impact on protected lands. By applying flawed logic, it misrepresents the value of declared wilderness and the Kowmung declared wild river. It uses inadequate survey for Aboriginal heritage, flora, fauna and threatened species but will impact these severely. It does not include detailed maps to adequately show the relationship between current FSL, future proposed levels, protected areas and wilderness. It falls short of several other requirements of the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements and the principles of management for Australian world heritage properties and national heritage places. It fails to adequately address the concerns of Aboriginal Traditional Owners.
2. The proposal is a poor response to downstream floodplain risks. The proposal only addresses a proportion of the catchment, and the EIS fails to adequately consider alternatives or to justify the proposed solution on practical or economic grounds.
3. The proposal represents a futher dispossession of the Gundungurra people from their Burragorang homeland, with damage to large number of cultural sites and disrespect to their views.
In summary, the EIS fails to adequately address many aspects of the proposal and the alternatives. It does not provide an acceptable basis for a decision on the proposal.

OBJECTION TO PROJECT NUMBER SSI-8441
I wish to register my objections to the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall and have not made any political donations in the last two years
My husband and I moved to the Blue Mountains area over 18 years ago and enjoy the amazingly beautiful environment we live in. We are now retired and appreciate bushwalking , the wonderful vistas and the wildlife even more.
It would be criminal to destroy habitats for critically endangered species such as the Regent Honeyeater, koalas and Sydney’s last emu population as well as 1500 indigenous cultural heritage sites. Hasn’t Australia be condemned enough times for destroying its sacred heritage sites!

I am writing this submission to voice my opposition to the proposal of raising the height of Warragamba Dam wall. Based on my own personal experiences of regular bushwalking, birdwatching and participation in native bush restoration projects in the area, this project poses an unacceptable risk to one of our few remaining wilderness areas.
Not only have I experienced the wonder of being in these natural spaces, I have also previously worked in Western Sydney Local Health District as part of the Mental Health Service. The ongoing development in this area is causing significant mental distress with unfettered development leading to tthe creation of significant pockets of disadvantage. This disadvantage leads to issues in accessing suitable services, and the poor design of these areas exacerbate mental distress when environmental concerns are ignored. I have seen the challenges this creates when trying to support people in the community, and this project will only increase these problems while an already wealthy few will profit. This is unconsciounable, unless profit is all that forms your conscience.
I have regularly visited the Blue Mountains since the devastating bushfires of 2019/20, COVID restrictions permitting. I have seen how areas are struggling to recover, and many native species, both flora and fauna, won't be coming back. The Mountain Ash is one example that is lost to the landscape due to the fires and ongoing climate change. The recent IUCN report highlights a significant increase in the number of species that are threatened with extinction, such as the iconic Bogong moth, the population numbers having dropped by an estimated 99.5% in the space of a few short years. Wilderness areas around Warragamba Dam provide one of their remaining safe havens. Raising the Dam wall unnecesarily to add to the pressure towards extinction.
Australia already has an uneviable record when it comes to protecting our threatened species. The threatened species surveys conducted as part of this project are significantly less than what the current minimum guidelines require. Field surveys and expert submissions were not obtained in a frightening number of occasions. It is also noted that no field surveys have been undertaken since these bushfires, which suggests that the whole report would need to be redone, and to at least meet the minimum requirements. These ommissions make me wonder at the validity of the whole environmental assessments by SMEC Engineering, a firm with a questionable record on Indigenous issues.
On these grounds of an inadequate environmental assessment, the risk to threatened species, and the ongoing risk to people living in Western Sydney from unfettered development that such a project would allow, I forcefully oppose this project. For the harms that it will cause far outweigh any possible benefit.
Many thanks for taking the time to read this submission.

I live in the catchment area for the dam, I spend time bushwalking in the accessible parts of the catchment and I volunteer with the NSW SES responding to storm and flooding events.
I believe that the loss of natural and cultural heritage following a raising of the dam wall cannot be adequately offset or replaced. My understanding is that the raising of the wall will offer only moderate protection for ongoing developments on the flood plains below.
I therefore object to the dam wall raising as it uses public capital (funds and irreplaceable heritage) to protect private capital in ongoing floodplain development: in those terms it makes no sense.