Warragamba Dam Raising

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.

I have spent much of my life living and walking in the Blue Mountains and find the proposition that great parts of it will be further drowned as a result of this project incomprehensible. The political appointments associated with this project and the bypassing of logical assessment criteria (14 m dam wall with only 10m dam wall affect) appear to treat our environmental protections with distain and do not pass the "pub test". There is such a low proportion of Australia that are world heritage reserves or national parks, please stop putting pressure on the remaining natural eco-systems for future generations sakes… you are destroying your legacy for all of our grandchildren...

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 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 destruction or degradation of a contemporary breeding site for Regent Honeyeaters would have dire consequences for the species as a whole.
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. As a nature and bird enthusiast, I strongly oppose this project.

This expansion puts the habitat of millions of animals at risk including the Regent Honeyeater, a CRITICALLY ENDANGERED species that numbers less than 400 individuals! As someone who has been volunteering at Taronga Zoo Sydney for years, helping breed this species with the hopes of releasing them, it is disgusting that the NSW Government would even consider this atrocious project. The proposed expansion will destroy the homes of dozens of species. The land proposed to being destroyed is of INCREDIBLE significance to Indigenous Peoples and WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH. It is time to stop this destruction and violation/misuse of land, animals and People. Stop the damn dam expansion!!!

I also support both the Bird Life Australia and Australian Conservation Organisations. No long time thought has gone into this. You cannot - maynot - put any risk to heritage protected land, nor endangered wild life, including plants. What we actually need is a serious human population DECREASE.

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. 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. 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”. It is unacceptable and inconsistent with the National Recovery Plan for any avoidable loss or degradation of breeding habitat to occur.
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.

If the raising of the warragamba dam goes ahead, so much vital land will be at risk of being destroyed or facing immense flooding which will destroy huge areas of habitat which is home to one of the most endangered birds - the regent honeyeater. If this goes ahead we run a grave risk of losing this bird forever, which will likely create a domino affect for the Australian environment.

Australia already has one of the highest rates of mammal extinction in the world, and native bird populations are continuing to dwindle. If this project goes ahead the regent honeyeater may very well go extinct, being ranked as critically endangered on the iucn red list.

Regent honeyeaters are not the only animal which will be greatly impacted by this. Animals such as quolls, wallabies and countless species of frogs. They will be affected as there will be less land available which means they will have to compete with other species to have their land.

The Australian public do not want to continuously see how bad Australia is doing in relation to the environment, and preventing this is a big step towards ensuring Australia can become a country that values its environment as well as its people.

Although I currently live in Melbourne, far from the Burragorang Valley, I have fond memories of the place from my childhood in New South Wales. In any event, political boundaries are insignificant when species survival is at stake, as it is in this case. To raise the Warragamba Dam wall and flood the Burragorang Valley will endanger the small remaining population of Regent Honeyeaters, a critically endangered, iconic species whose habitat has already been compromised by the Black Summer bushfires of 2019–2020. Other species will almost certainly be compromised by this action, and once extinction occurs, there is no way back. Rather than simply raising the dam wall – a mid-twentieth-century solution to a twenty-first century problem – Major Projects should be examining more sustainable and less damaging ways of ensuring that Sydney's water supply is sufficient for its needs.

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.  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 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.

If the NSW Government approves this proposal, huge areas of World Heritage-listed National Park and culturally significant land in the Blue Mountains and thousands of hectares of Critically Endangered Regent Honeyeater breeding habitat would be at risk of extended flooding and potential destruction.
Regent Honeyeaters are one of Australia’s most threatened species, with a current population estimate of only 350 birds. If this amazing bird is going to survive and recover, we must protect the precious places where they breed and raise their young.
The Burragorang Valley, located within the Warragamba Dam-raising footprint, was one of only three areas used for breeding across all of NSW in 2017, and is considered a key site for the conservation of the Regent Honeyeater into the future. The vast majority of the few remaining Regent Honeyeaters now breed around the edges of the Greater Blue Mountains and we must protect every breeding site, especially those situated inside a World Heritage-listed National Park.

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 strongly oppose the proposal to raise Warragamba Dam and urge you to listen to your own parliamentary committee who recommends you find alternative measures due to the severe impact on threatened species, cultural heritage sites and the outstanding value of the World Heritage Area.

Specifically, 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 destruction or degradation of a contemporary breeding site for Regent Honeyeaters would have dire consequences for the species as a whole and is thoroughly 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.

I strongly urge you to listen to your own experts and not raise the Warragamba Dam wall.

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.

This project would impact the breeding sites of the critically endangered regent honeyeaters. It must not go ahead, every one of these birds is precious, and 31 were reporting in the area which will be subject to flooding.

I am submitting this objection to 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 the threatened species that are found in the area. I note that, in its interim report of 5 October 2021, the cross-party New South Wales parliamentary committee investigating the proposal found that the wall raising should not proceed “if the proposal cannot maintain or improve the current and future integrity of the Greater Blue Mountains world heritage area”. And it cannot! 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.  The Committee has recommended the state government consider alternatives to the proposal.

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. It has also been shown that most offsets are "greenwashing" as the land was not going to be cleared anyway or nothing has actually been done to rehabilitate land set aside!

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.

In line with the State Goernment's commitment to protecting endangered species, the Warragamba Dam must not be raised. Other alternatives should be investigated.

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. This is reflected in the draft EIS which concludes that significant impacts cannot be avoided for wildlife such as to contemporary breeding habitat for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater. It is unacceptable and inconsistent with the National Recovery Plan for any avoidable loss or degradation of breeding habitat to occur and I strongly oppose the Project’s offset strategy for the Regent Honeyeater.
And importantly, this is likely to be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to wildlife. It's time that we stop sacrificing our precious and fragile environment and wildlife, particularly in the face of climate change, for the insatiable and unsustainable demands of our wasteful society. It is incumbent on our government and society to explore ways we can better use and conserve available water sources and find ways to meet demands without sacrificing our environment because simply we cannot continue with this mindset for ever. At least not without dire results.
I seek that this project be rejected and alternative sustainable water solutions be investigated that benefit both the needs of the population and the environment because until we find a balance we will ultimately undermine the health of both.

The Warragamba Dam environmental report has been classified as inaccurate by many groups.
From a personal aspect, my family and I visit the Blue Mountains area several times a year. The raising of the dam will not protect Western Sydney communities from floods, but it will destroy thousands of hectares of World Heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park, Aboriginal cultural sites heritage, damage wildlife and Kowmung River.
Alternate, feasible strategies have been proposed to mitigate flooding.
We cannot continue to sacrifice our land because it’s an easier option.
It’s appalling this project has progressed this far.
Threatened species reports have not been thorough, adequate field surveys not completed, assessment of Indigenous sites/ impact has only been 27% so therefore incomplete, and the list goes on.
The EIS is flawed and appears to be attempting to minimise the impact raising the dam will have really have.
Protect our existing wilderness and culture. Consult properly. Involve the Indigenous owners completely.
Do it right.
Do not raise the wall.

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 wish to voice my concern over the NSW govt's plan to raise the water levels in Warragamba dam.
This would involve flooding a large area of World Heritage national park which apart from recreational and other uses is the habitat of the critical endangered Regent Honeyeater, of which as few as 350 individuals survive.
Surely in the 21st century we cannot let another species be added to the bleak catalog of Australia's woeful historic record of species extinction.
Moreover, given the mounting evidence and present effects of the growing danger of climate change, the very last thing we should be doing it flooding forest and bushland that harbours the very trees that can go some way to taking in excess carbon dioxide and thus mitigating the frightening trends towards climate change.
Forest offsets as proposed will never replace the original habitat of an endangered species like the honeyeater; the risks of attempting to do so could push the species over the brink of extinction, and are therefore not worth taking.
This is a personal submission. I have made no reportable political donation

I spent my childhood in the Blue Mountains and have many memories of the landscape of the world heritage listed national park. Since getting older, I have come to discover more about its cultural significance and the wildlife that calls this place home. Specifically the regent honey eater of which there are only just over 300 breeding pairs left in this area. After being threatened by the recent bushfires, if the plan to raise the walls of the Warragamba Dam goes ahead, they will face further disruption to there already fragile existence. I urge you to take into account the plight of these already endangered creatures when making your plans for this area. Yours sincerely, Nicole Verwey-Baker.