Warragamba Dam Raising

As a park user I realise the value of the Kowmung River and the parts to be inundated. I am unconvinced that the putative and temporary benefits exceed the permanent destruction of a Wild River even in part

A PLEA TO SAVE WORLD HERITAGE HABITAT AND ENDANGERED SPECIES
I write to plead with the NSW Government to take the right course by deciding NOT to raise the Warragamba Dam wall.
One measure of a society’s civilisation is the extent to which it is prepared to cherish and protect its wild areas which are host to endangered flora and fauna and culturally significant land.
The proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall is such an issue. The consequent inundation of vast areas of World Heritage land and of already critically endangered species would be a profoundly tragic mistake. They would be doomed forever.
My particular concern is for the critically endangered regent honeyeater, whose numbers have dwindled to as few as 350 wild birds. As much as half of their feeding and breeding habitat was devastated in the 2019-20 bushfires, which makes what little habitat is left for them all the more critical and valuable.
Sadly, however, part of that remaining habitat is set to be flooded if the dam wall is raised. The draft EIE notes that project poses dangers to the honeyeaters’ breeding habitat that “cannot be avoided or minimised”.
This bird is on the brink. Poignantly, there are signs that males of the species are forgetting their song because there are so few other regent honeyeaters left to learn from. The National Recovery Plan for the Regent Honeyeater could hardly be clearer about the remaining breeding habitat: “It is essential that the highest level of protection is provided to these areas and that enhancement and protection measures target these productive sites.”
Bizarrely, this proposal comes as both state and federal governments recognise the gravity of the regent honeyeater’s plight by sinking sunk considerable sums of money into its survival.
The project’s proposed offsets idea for the honeyeater is flawed and almost certain to fail. Offsets rarely work in providing appropriate foraging and breeding habitat for critically endangered species.
I implore you to avoid the lure of trying to fix one historic planning error by making another that is even more catastrophic.

Raising the wall will flood a large amount of habitat required for endangered and critically endangered species, for example Regent Honeyeaters. I oppose this and note the EPBC Act requires action be taken to safeguard these species.
We have a desalination plant to provide water in times of drought - we do not need more storage capacity to supply water.

I categorically object to this proposal.

I think that housing development in the Hawkesbury flood zone has been managed poorly and therefore Stuart Ayres is trying to fix this by raising the Waragamba dam wall. The government should spend the massive amount of money earmarked for the raising of the wall, for buying back property in the flood zone rather than spending it to destroy precious bushland which has become even more extraordinarily precious since the 2019/2020 bushfires.

This area is so precious and pristine, it is habitat for many common and many endangered (some critically like the Regent Honeyeater) species and these areas are more and more important. Our environment is being degraded through death by a thousand cuts, this is a large cut that we can avoid if we manage the issue of why you need to raise it. Stop using the flood zone for housing, this area has been a flood zone for many thousands of years, surely we knew this, the general public should not have to see the demise of the pristine Buragorang area because of the mistakes of politicians and greedy developers.

Lastly and probably most importantly, the indigenous link to this area can be traced back many tens of thousands of years. We have taken so much from First nations people, surely we need to start taking them into account - they looked after this land beautifully for many thousands of years, we have degraded it to a terrible state in 200 years, I think they deserve a very large seat at this decision making table, they need to be heard.

The environment is the most important issue of our, and the next few generations, our decisions now are so important for the quality of the future that we give to our children. I hope you give the effect on the environment, the weight of importance that it deserves.

thank you,

I am objecting the project as it has the potential to destroy the habitat of the critically threatened Regent Honeyeater found in the adjacent forests.

As a resident of the Blue Mountains, and avid outdoorsman; bushwalking, kayaking, climbing and canyoning every available opportunity, I strongly oppose the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall. This is not only due to the huge impact on Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, but also the environmental impact. The Kowmung River is one of NSW's last true wild rivers, and the raising of the wall will destroy the river. Furthermore, the raising of the wall will damage and/or destroy several unique eucalyptus species diversity recognized as having Outstanding Universal Value under the area’s World Heritage listing; a number of Threatened Ecological Communities, notably Grassy Box Woodland; and habitats for endangered and critically endangered species including the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater and Sydney’s last Emu population. Most importantly, an estimated 65 kilometres of wilderness rivers, and 5,700 hectares of National Parks, 1,300 hectares of which is within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, would be inundated by the Dam project which is simply unacceptable. Finally, 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. I strongly object to the raising of the Warragamba Dam for the above reasons, and request that alternative options are explored.

I have a deep connection with the natural environment. I am living in the South Coast area and have seen the devastation of the 2019 bushfires on the native flora and fauna. The loss is still palpable as I drive through affected areas. The most eerie experience was camping in the bush in June 2020, when it was deathly silent. No birds, no insects, nothing. I have enjoyed bushwalking in the blue mountains, and they truly are one of the most special, and well preserved natural landscapes in this country, if not the world. It is an asset to the country and should be preserved in it's most natural state for my generation and future generations.

Flood plain development is a human problem. Further destruction of the natural landscape should not be a solution. Alternative action should take priority such as Lowering the full storage level of Warragamba Dam, ceasing development in flood prone areas. Mandating water tanks to ease run-off and drainage pressures, permeable paving and green space should be maximised before resorting to irreversible damage is caused to the Blue Mountains. If humans have caused the problems with flooding in Western Sydney, then changes should be made in Western Sydney first.

I object to support the health of the Kowmung river, protected for its pristine condition under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. I object to protect the
unique eucalyptus species diversity recognised as having Outstanding Universal Value under the area’s World Heritage listing such as the Camden White Gum; I object to protect
Threatened Ecological Communities, notably Grassy Box Woodland; I object to protect habitat for endangered and critically endangered species including the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater and Sydney’s last Emu population.

please see the attachment

There is no evidence that breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters can be successfully offset and any offsets would be unlikely to provide direct benefits for both the local affected population and the species.

I am a committed conservationist, a nature writer and an active member of Birdlife Australia. I lead bird walks and give presentations to community groups on birds and on the need for active engagement in environmental care and protection.

Birds do not recognise political boundaries and populations move freely around suitable habitat in Victoria and New South Wales. Changes to habitat in New South Wales will have direct impact on birds in Victoria. The raising of the dam wall as proposed will, when completed, make irrevocable changes to habitat. Once done, it cannot be undone.

The notion of offsets simply cannot apply to a species such as the Regent honeyeater. If the area to be set aside is suitable for Regent honeyeaters, they will already be there. That they are in the area to be inundated and not in areas proposed as offsets suggests that the required environmental conditions for supporting Regent honeyeaters in the proposed offset are not met. With the impossibility of accelerating the growth of Ironbarks and other suitable plant species to provide mature trees within the short time required, offsets simply do not imply.

The draft EIS states that the project poses potential significant impacts to Regent honeyeaters that “cannot be avoided or minimised.” The National Recovery Plan for the Regent Honeyeater states “It is essential that the highest level of protection is provided to these areas and that enhancement and protection measures target these productive sites”. The proposal offends on both counts.

I therefore strongly oppose the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam.

Yours sincerely

Greg Hunt
22 John Street
Oak Park Vic 3046

Surely in the 21st century we have learnt about the fact this planet is suffering under human expansion and degradation of our environment? I lament we show no leadership to find alternate measures rather than keep deforesting our land for housing, not managing our water resources and generally just mismanaging our very limited lands, country and world.
I strongly oppose the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam due to the project’s unacceptable potential impacts on the environment including to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and threatened species.
The draft EIS concludes that the project poses potential significant impacts to contemporary breeding habitat for the Regent Honeyeater that “cannot be avoided or minimised.”
How many more species do we eliminate of the face of the earth before we learn? The Regent Honeyeater is listed as Critically Endangered at both a state and federal level, with as few as 350 individuals remaining in the wild. 
Modelling by BirdLife Australia suggested that up to 50% of contemporary Regent Honeyeater foraging and breeding habitat was burnt in the 2019/20 bushfires. Protecting remaining unburnt breeding habitat is of the highest conservation priority.
There are only a handful of contemporary breeding sites for Regent Honeyeater and during the assessment of the project a total of twenty one (21) Regent Honeyeaters, including active nests, were recorded within the impact area.
Any breeding habitat is considered habitat critical for survival of the species under the National Recovery Plan for Regent Honeyeater and it states “It is essential that the highest level of protection is provided to these areas and that enhancement and protection measures target these productive sites”.
The destruction or degradation of a contemporary breeding site for Regent Honeyeaters would have dire consequences for the species as a whole.
The destruction and degradation of breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters is incongruous with the time and money that the Federal and NSW Governments have invested into the recovery program, including the Regent Honeyeater Captive Breeding and Release program.
It is unacceptable and inconsistent with the National Recovery Plan for any avoidable loss or degradation of breeding habitat to occur.
I strongly oppose the Project’s offset strategy for the Regent Honeyeater.
Offsets are rarely an appropriate response to proposed biodiversity loss and especially for critical habitat for the survival of a species, in this case breeding habitat for the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater.
There is no evidence that breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters can be successfully offset and any offsets would be unlikely to provide direct benefits for both the local affected population and the species.
We all need to do better than keep destroying our precious environment, our beautiful wildlife for what? Money? That's all it is.

I am a retired father of four and I regularly bushwalk in the Blue Mountains to experience the biodiversity not available to me and my family in the outer suburban Sydney.

I object to the raising of the dam wall because of the damage it will do to our precious natural environment. I am concerned about the increased flooding risk of the Nepean/Hawkesbury River system due to climate change. I believe the only real solution is stop further residential development in the expanding flood plains and the State Government or Councils should buy back properties in the flood plain zones.

I believe the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Warragamba Dam wall raising is flawed because there have been no field surveys undertaken since the devastating bushfires from Black Summer 2019/20, there has been no modelling of the alleged economic and flood mitigation benefits of raising the wall, only 27% of the impact area has been assessed for Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and threatened species surveys were below standard also, expert reports were absent.

I strongly oppose the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam due to the project’s unacceptable potential impacts on the environment including to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and threatened species.
The draft EIS concludes that the project poses potential significant impacts to contemporary breeding habitat for the Regent Honeyeater that “cannot be avoided or minimised.”
The Regent Honeyeater is listed as Critically Endangered at both a state and federal level, with as few as 350 individuals remaining in the wild. 
Modelling by BirdLife Australia suggested that up to 50% of contemporary Regent Honeyeater foraging and breeding habitat was burnt in the 2019/20 bushfires. Protecting remaining unburnt breeding habitat is of the highest conservation priority.
There are only a handful of contemporary breeding sites for Regent Honeyeater and during the assessment of the project a total of twenty one (21) Regent Honeyeaters, including active nests, were recorded within the impact area.
Any breeding habitat is considered habitat critical for survival of the species under the National Recovery Plan for Regent Honeyeater and it states “It is essential that the highest level of protection is provided to these areas and that enhancement and protection measures target these productive sites”.
The destruction or degradation of a contemporary breeding site for Regent Honeyeaters would have dire consequences for the species as a whole.
The destruction and degradation of breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters is incongruous with the time and money that the Federal and NSW Governments have invested into the recovery program, including the Regent Honeyeater Captive Breeding and Release program.
It is unacceptable and inconsistent with the National Recovery Plan for any avoidable loss or degradation of breeding habitat to occur.
I strongly oppose the Project’s offset strategy for the Regent Honeyeater.
Offsets are rarely an appropriate response to proposed biodiversity loss and especially for critical habitat for the survival of a species, in this case breeding habitat for the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater.
There is no evidence that breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters can be successfully offset and any offsets would be unlikely to provide direct benefits for both the local affected population and the species.

I object to this project because flooding, which it could cause upstream, would result in destroying a huge area (4,700 hectares) of important ecosystems which are part of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. This would endanger wildlife, such as the regent honeyeaters, which depend on this area for their survival. The Blue Mountains Council is against this project because they understand the environmental damage which will occur. I also object to the project as a short-term solution which will cause long-term damage to our natural environment.

I am a certified Wildlife Rescuer and Rehabilitator and it absolutely disgusts me how little the Decision Makers are doing to protect the unique Australian habitats and wildlife. The estimate for wildlife decimation in the devastating bushfires of 2019/2020 say that Australia lost 6 BILLION animals and yet the information submitted for this project contain no post bushfire surveys or submissions. How short sighted and disrespectful of the natural world.

There seems to be no understanding that our lives are all interwoven with the natural world around us.......and to not take into account a catastrophic event that happened in this area BEFORE you choose to devastate an area further is blatant incompetence.

You need to do modelling that is comprehensive, substantial and up to date in order to consider any and all projects let alone one as potentially damaging as this one. The Blue Mountains has UNESCO World Heritage Listing and is something precious and of outstanding value for the whole of mankind.

Australia's track record for mammal extinctions is the highest in the world. This Government thinks only of the short-term gain for any and all developments and projects - there is no understanding of the long term and the generations to come that would benefit from better planning and sympathetic governance and leadership. Work in cooperation with Environmental groups and scientists to uncover new methods of solving problems and do not leave our futures in the hands of unscrupulous Developers with only one agenda. It's like leaving the fox in charge of building the hen house!! They don't care!!

I moved to Australia 13 years ago under the misapprehension it was a country that valued it's unique and wonderful natural assets and wonders........that you could be reassured that Australian leaders knew the treasures they had in their ocean reefs and towering forests and in their unique native animals. In recent years, all I see are decisions made against the desires of the Australian people and which only benefit the Developers at the expense of quality of life - with regards to air, oceans, water and the animals that share this world with us.

Once your Critically Endangered forests and species have gone, they will be gone forever. The Aboriginal heritage and artefacts, once gone will be gone from history forever. This is so short-sighted and not visionary. So lack-lustre. Why can the Government and Developers not understand that there is so much more to be gained by keeping these treasures and working in ways that preserve and honour these things for future generations?

Overall I find that the integrity of the environmental assessment to be fundamentally flawed. The Planning Panels (that exist in a jurisdiction of their own and accountable to no one it seems) need to understand they have the landscape of Australia in their hands and the green forests and the waterways may all soon disappear on their watch so that all of Australia will just be a wasteland - a dusty red place - where nothing can survive because they are not ensuring exacting and thorough due diligence in their oversight.

Be exhaustive in your studies. Be comprehensive in your surveys. DO NOT ACCEPT THE MEDIOCRE. Be exhaustive in your understanding of how damaging this project will be for so many species, including humans.

WATER IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCES AND BY RAISING THE WARRAGAMBA DAM YOU ARE JEOPARDISING PRISTINE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES AND WATERWAYS. DO IT BETTER! START TO BE VISIONARY - DON'T ACCEPT THE DESTRUCTION. DO IT BETTER!!!

If nothing else, this pandemic has taught us all the value of fresh air and being able to get out into the natural world for our sanity!! You have to stop destroying Australia's treasures and start solving the problems of humans with more sympathetic values and more moral fibre!!

Please do not go ahead with this reckless plan. Find the alternatives. Be the Australia everyone wishes it could be. Do the right thing.

NSW
Koala habitat is under severe threat and facing extinction
Now the Regent Honey Eater's habitat is under threat and facing extinction.
It is unacceptable and inconsistent with the National Recovery Plan for any avoidable loss or degradation of breeding habitat to occur. Do the right thing for our environment and consider other options to raising a man-made structure.

I strongly oppose the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam due to the project’s unacceptable potential impacts on the environment including to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and threatened species.
The draft EIS concludes that the project poses potential significant impacts to contemporary breeding habitat for the Regent Honeyeater that “cannot be avoided or minimised.”
The Regent Honeyeater is listed as Critically Endangered at both a state and federal level, with as few as 350 individuals remaining in the wild. 
Modelling by BirdLife Australia suggested that up to 50% of contemporary Regent Honeyeater foraging and breeding habitat was burnt in the 2019/20 bushfires. Protecting remaining unburnt breeding habitat is of the highest conservation priority.
There are only a handful of contemporary breeding sites for Regent Honeyeater and during the assessment of the project a total of twenty one (21) Regent Honeyeaters, including active nests, were recorded within the impact area.
Any breeding habitat is considered habitat critical for survival of the species under the National Recovery Plan for Regent Honeyeater and it states “It is essential that the highest level of protection is provided to these areas and that enhancement and protection measures target these productive sites”.
The destruction or degradation of a contemporary breeding site for Regent Honeyeaters would have dire consequences for the species as a whole.
The destruction and degradation of breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters is incongruous with the time and money that the Federal and NSW Governments have invested into the recovery program, including the Regent Honeyeater Captive Breeding and Release program.
It is unacceptable and inconsistent with the National Recovery Plan for any avoidable loss or degradation of breeding habitat to occur.
I strongly oppose the Project’s offset strategy for the Regent Honeyeater.
Offsets are rarely an appropriate response to proposed biodiversity loss and especially for critical habitat for the survival of a species, in this case breeding habitat for the Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater.
There is no evidence that breeding habitat for Regent Honeyeaters can be successfully offset and any offsets would be unlikely to provide direct benefits for both the local affected population and the species.

Australian conservation is central to my life. Enough species have gone extinct in my lifetime, I will not stand by and do nothing to slow the snowball. Please show that you too take seriously the conservation of species and nature.

I appose the Warragamba Dam Raising project because:
- it affects one of only three breeding sites for a Critically Endangered bird, the Regent Honeyeater. The human disturbance during construction and flooded area after could be the final straw for this species. This project is not in alignment with the National Recovery Plan for this species under the EPBC Act. I oppose the offset, this species needs the care and respect it deserves in situ. Damaging its extant vital breeding habitat is dangerous to the future of this species on Earth. Please, don’t take this risk, protect this Critically Endangered species and those along side it.
- it affects numerous other flora and fauna species and ecological habitats, many of whom are Critically Endangered!
- it is in a World Heritage National Park. Please, look after our National Park and natural places - show the world that Australia cares about the conservation of nature and does the work at home.
- it is on culturally significant land, both for First Australians and New Australians.

So much damage has already been done to Australia’s land, fauna, flora, fungi and people. If a site is of conservation or cultural significance, please protect it, do not damage it further. Our lives and the the lives of those around us are affected by the big choices, the Major Projects. Please help us and stand for Australian conservation by rejecting the Warragamba Dam Raising project.

I bushwalk in the Blue Mountain area, I am a wildlife carer and I value the aboriginal heritage of our country. I don't want to see extinction of our threatened species (Regent Honeyeater), the loss of over 1400 aboriginal sites and the inundation of our beautiful world heritage area. I am against the proposal to raise the dam wall.

I have been a Blue Mountains resident all my life and frequently enjoy bushwalking in our unique and precious world heritage environment. As a high school teacher for 23 years, l regard it as my job and duty to teach students about conservation and the threats we pose to our fragile ecosystem. The over-deveopment of the Nepean and Hawkesbury floodplain has already put a huge strain on the infrastructure, facilities and thoroughfares in our local area. There are viable alternatives to this project which would be much more effective at protecting properties and they should be put in place. I am horrified to think that this project may go ahead, destroying the invaluable cultural sites important to local Elders and Community and the fragile habitat of rare and endangered species.
The Minister must consider the wishes of our community, the shameful risk of wiping out the last remaining habitat for the Regent Honeyeater and Greater Glider threatened species. This combined with the huge and wasteful expense, when there are viable, more affordable and safer alternatives to channel floodplain water run off makes it obvious that the Minister's decision should be to NOT raise the Warragamba Dam wall.
I wholeheartedly oppose this project and ask the Minister, have you not learnt the lessons from the recent destruction of Aboriginal Cultural sites over the last few years? Listen to the people who live here and love our home, who fight passionately to protect and preserve our precious country. You have a duty to future generations and are accountable to the voice of our Blue Mountains community. Please, for all our sakes, do not raise the Warragamba dam wall.