This afternoon I attended a NSW Legislative Council hearing held in the Macquarie Room at the Windsor Function Centre as part of the enquiry into the NSW Government’s proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall.

It was interesting to be able to gain a better understanding of the process surrounding this important decision for our area.

There were representatives from Infrastructure NSW, Water NSW, Transport for NSW, Department of Planning, Industry and Environment plus NSW State Emergency Service along with expert independent advisors as well as council representatives from Hawkesbury City Council, City of Blue Mountains, Penrith City Council and Wollondilly Shire Council.

The proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall is part of a plan by the Infrastructure NSW to “reduce significant existing risk and building community resilience”.

To explain why they are looking at raising the dam wall, here’s an excerpt from the Water NSW site…

“While major flooding has not happened in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley for more than 25 years, it can occur at any time. Sometimes, extreme weather events will strike without warning, so we all need to be prepared.

In May 2017, the NSW Government released the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Flood Risk Management Strategy – ‘Resilient Valley, Resilient Communities.’

The strategy is designed specifically for the valley as the most flood-prone region in NSW, if not Australia. It is a long-term plan to minimise significant risks to life and livelihoods; damage to urban and rural property; and, the major dislocation of economic activity from rapid, deep flooding.

It is the framework for the government, councils, businesses and communities to work together to reduce and manage flood risk in the Sydney Region’s most productive food bowl.

And, after four years’ investigation, it recommends that raising Warragamba Dam to create a flood mitigation zone of around 14 metres is the best option to reduce the risks to life, property and community assets posed by floodwaters from the extensive Warragamba River catchment.

While a range of other infrastructure and non-infrastructure outcomes are included in the strategy and must be part of the solution for managing ongoing risk, no other mitigation measures can achieve the same risk reduction as the Warragamba Dam Raising Proposal.

WaterNSW, as owner and operator of the dam, is consulting widely about the effects and benefits of the proposal to inform the environmental assessment, concept design and, subject to all planning approvals, a business case to assist decision-making in 2020 about whether to proceed with these major flood mitigation works.”

In reality, after today’s hearing, until the Environmental Impact Statement is officially released (projected to be available in 2020) there’s not much to report at this stage of the process.

As an Acreage Specialist working within the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley the decisions about reducing flood-risk and evacuation planning will have a big impact upon communities in this area and it’s important for me to be as well-informed about this project as possible.

Regards

Greg Vincent

DISCLAIMER: I am an ordinary member of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Flood Mitigation Community Group