World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains threatened by dam plan

[johnrs]

Give a Dam Rally Katoomba Sun June 9
From the NPA bulletin

Give a Dam are not giving up just because of the Election results! A planned protest rally and march is now a go.
The date is Sunday 9th June commencing at 12:00 midday. The march will commence at Carrington Place, down Katoomba St, left into Warratah and left into Lurline and finish in Kingsford Smith Park. Once there, there will be speeches from the alliance partners.
https://www.giveadam.org.au/

[johnrs]

And a Fundraiser too
Sat 15 June Katoomba

GIVE A DAM Fundraiser Dinner
The GIVE A DAM campaign will be hosting a fundraiser dinner on the 15th of June from 6pm. It will be held in the ballroom of the beautiful Mountain Heritage Hotel in Katoomba. It will include a 3-course alternate serve meal and 2 hours of complementary drinks.
The evening will be emceed by the Hon. Bob Debus (former NSW Environment Minister and Blue Mountains MP). It will include briefings from GIVE A DAM campaign manager Harry Burkitt and Gundungurra woman Taylor Clarke.

We will have a fundraising auction as part of the event with a selection of fantastic prizes.

Tickets are $100 per head or $900 to book a table of 10.

When
June 15, 2019 at 6pm - 9pm
Where
Mountain Heritage Hotel
Corner Apex and Lovel Streets
Katoomba, NSW 2780
Australia

Bookings here
https://www.giveadam.org.au/give_a_dam_ ... BUNIQID%5D

[johnrs]

And now UNESCO has warned that raising Warragamba dam may threaten the World Heritage status of the Blue Mountains national park
Details here
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-09/ ... e/11194166
And a bit more here
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/dam ... 51x21.html
John

[johnrs]

And a little more attention coming with a NSW parliamentary enquiry announced today
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/gre ... 51zoi.html
John

[johnrs]

GIVE A DAM campaign update

from the NPA Nature News

The Give A Dam campaign fighting the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam continues from strength to strength.

An Upper House Committee was recently established to inquire into plans for any future development of property on the Hawkesbury Nepean Floodplain as a result of the project as well as the adequacy of the EIS.

The UN has prepared a draft report on the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area listing which will be considered in July. The report highlights a number of concerns for the area and calls on the NSW and Federal Governments to send it any EIS before decisions on the dam are made.
John

[johnrs]

And now UNESCO is involved
The World Heritage listing is at risk
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/cons ... 523wr.html
John

[johnrs]

So there it is folks
The wilderness destroying dam raising does not work to any great degree
but lots of land to release
and developer donations to our federal liberal party.
More here in the SMH
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/cons ... 52djf.html
Sorry days
John

[north-north-west]

Come now. You can't honestly expect to counter such an essential proposal with nothing more than science and facts. That's now how this works.

[johnrs]

And here is the National Parks Association submission to the upper house parliamentary enquiry
John

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3sKmV ... 17_COPY_01)&mc_cid=e12dcd396c&mc_eid=%5BUNIQID%5D

[Mark F]

With the current flooding in Sydney I sadly expect the dam heightening to become a government priority.

[ribuck]

People are talking about "spilling" as if it's a bad thing. If a dam doesn't spill during floods, the water drops all its sediment into the dam and the dam gradually silts up. If a dam spills, the water rises onto the downstream floodplains and drops the rich sediments over the land like it should.

I don't see why the government doesn't just allow developers to build on flood-prone land, with the proviso that they build two-storey houses, and the buyers must accept that the house is flood-prone. The owners might need to replace the downstairs carpets every 20 to 50 years, but the owners and their most valuable possessions can remain safe upstairs.

Upsides: No need to flood more of the National Park. No huge cost to the taxpayer. Lots of cheap housing for people who accept the downsides. Less silting of the existing dam.

[michael_p]

Saw this and thought it interesting. Not sure if it will change the views of those who think raising the wall will stop flooding downstream: https://twitter.com/p_hannam/status/1373515652439273474
Also worth noting that Warragamba is only providing 50% of the flood inflows. The rest is water coming primarily down the Nepean.

I don't see why the government doesn't just allow developers to build on flood-prone land, with the proviso that they build two-storey houses, and the buyers must accept that the house is flood-prone. The owners might need to replace the downstairs carpets every 20 to 50 years, but the owners and their most valuable possessions can remain safe upstairs.

This is the case in parts of South Camden. A number of double storey houses are built on the Nepean flood plane and you are not supposed to occupy the lower levels of the house. We knew a family that had one of these houses and they had a massive garage and a very big family/rumpus room on the lower level.

[Moondog55]

They used to build that way in Queensland, high off the ground on 3 metre stumps, even then they sometime had water flowing over the floor

[wildwanderer]

And seeing the state gov seems to be in love with apartment towers. In flood prone areas why not stipulate that the first 3 stories needs to be car parks and structural support. With the residential/community parts on level 4 and above.

We might even see a increase building quality as the foundations and other major works would need to be scrutinized to ensure they can withstand water inundation.

I'm sure the developers will cry the it's too expensive but considering Sydney's ever increasing house prices any intial cost would be easily absorbed by market price inflation.

[Warin]

And seeing the state gov seems to be in love with apartment towers. In flood prone areas why not stipulate that the first 3 stories needs to be car parks and structural support. With the residential/community parts on level 4 and above

Might want to make the first few levels marinas? And a helicopter landing site on the roof.

[michael_p]

Good article in the SMH today: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/hig ... 57cwa.html

[wildwanderer]

Onya Bob.

https://www.smh.com.au/environment/cons ... 58aq4.html

[Lophophaps]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-30/ ... /100500612

From the article.
A new report reveals the New South Wales government is trying to avoid paying more than $1 billion in compensation for environmental damage it will cause to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area when it raises Warragamba Dam by 14 metres.

The move — revealed in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) report lodged on Wednesday — has led conservationists to accuse the state's Environment Minister, Matt Kean, of playing a "double game".

That accusation comes in light of a newly uncovered recording from 2019 in which the minister said the bill for the environmental compensation would be so big, the project would not go ahead.

[Hughmac]

Pretty obvious where this was going when the original ecologist on the EIS was sacked after submitting an unfavourable report, and replaced by a in-house ecologist already working for Water NSW. So much for independence. They are now arguing they only need to compensate for 7m of additional flooding, not he 14m the changes will create. Matt Kean is all talk, no walk, just another politician telling you the lies he thinks you want to hear.

[keithj]

I haven't seen any modelling of the increased size of the SCA Special Area mentioned here or in the Environmental Assessment doco....

The SCA Special Area is a 3km exclusion zone that no-one is allowed to enter - map of the current SCA is at https://www.waternsw.com.au/__data/asse ... 2016-2.pdf
Fines up to $44,000 apply for people who are caught ignoring the restrictions in Special Areas.

The doco states that surface area of Lake Burrgorang will increase by 25 square km, however, the size of Exclusion Zone will increase far more than that.
Page 26 of https://majorprojects.accelo.com/public ... 0FINAL.pdf shows the existing Exclusion Zone and increased lake size, but not the increased exclusion zone.

The interactive map at https://caportal.com.au/wnsw/wd/map has a measuring tool, so you can work out which areas will be in the enlarged exclusion zone.

If the exclusion zone remains at 3km from the increased lake size then bushwalkers will be prevented from accessing -

Parts of Mount Solitary near Pt Repulse
Much of lower Kowmung & Coxs Rivers
Much of lower Kedumba Valley including Eastern route to Mt Solitary, Kedumba Crossing and Camp Ground
Lions Head Pass, Spring Creek Ridge and surrounds

This is a significant omission in the Impact Statement.

[wildwanderer]

Sigh..

[michael_p]

If the exclusion zone remains at 3km from the increased lake size then bushwalkers will be prevented from accessing -

Parts of Mount Solitary near Pt Repulse
Much of lower Kowmung & Coxs Rivers
Much of lower Kedumba Valley including Eastern route to Mt Solitary, Kedumba Crossing and Camp Ground
Lions Head Pass, Spring Creek Ridge and surrounds

Looking at the interactive map (https://caportal.com.au/wnsw/wd/map). It also looks like the Wollondilly River crossing will be flooded and the Nattai River exclusion area will get pushed further south. No walking in those areas as well.

The environmental record of this government is just appalling.

[Xplora]

Looks inevitable now unless a new government changes things. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-n ... -14-metres

You would save more lives and property by not letting people build in flood prone areas. And when Sydney needs more water it will keep the dam full and call for another 14 metres for flood mitigation.

[anarresti]

Correct me if I'm wrong xplora, but doesn't this still require federal approval?
Insane to me how, even in their dying throes, the nsw libs seem hell bent on this needless destruction

[Xplora]

Correct me if I'm wrong xplora, but doesn't this still require federal approval?
Insane to me how, even in their dying throes, the nsw libs seem hell bent on this needless destruction

In what way would the Fed Govt need to approve it? Just asking, don't really know. Could just be an election stunt to gain support in the 3 marginal seats. The final decision (according to this media release) has now been given to the planning minister. It hasn't been funded.

People are mostly safe in the flooded areas if they stay out of the water. Some communities are isolated but there has been increased development in these island communities. That means more people to evacuate before they get cut off. Cutting off also means some services are cut so there will be no running water, possibly power and the sewerage treatment gets turned off so those staying behind need to be self sufficient. Those who lived through floods before would understand but there was a long period without any flooding and lots of new housing. Logistically it is a much bigger problem now to move everyone out.

[DavidB]

The Feds are involved as its a World Heritage Area. So Tanya Plibersek gets a say. By no means is this done and dusted.

[micmar22]

I seriously hope this proposal does NOT go ahead. These are some of my favourite photos of the Kowmung Gorge taken on film so I can't even remember when. I am planning to go and do this trip again from Morong Falls. This area needs to be preserved forever, but if not I want get back there before it's gone for good.

[keithj]

According to SMH - Warragamba Dam wall raising shelved
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/cons ... 5d1f4.html

The controversial raising of Warragamba Dam’s wall is dead in the water after the NSW government decided not to proceed with the project due to huge costs and environmental and heritage concerns.