The Berejiklian Government in NSW has negotiated the passage of legislation through Parliament which will permit the raising of the wall of Warrragamba Dam.

It will be argued by the government that raising the dam wall will enable greater storage of water in Warragamba Dam to permit more time for evacuations in the Hawkesbury-Nepean River Valley and affected areas in a major flood event but this move will also give impetus to housing, industrial and commercial development in floodplains of the Cumberland Plain.

While sensible sectors in public office, such as in the State Emergency Service, have recognised dangers in development on the floodplains of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system and its tributaries, others have been so driven by the desire to cater to development interests that they have looked to ways to reduce flood effects.

The result has been the proposal to raise the dam wall of Warragamba Dam.

Not to diminish the seriousness of that development agenda there is also the reduction of natural heritage features upon which the World Heritage Listing of the Blue Mountains National Park is founded and the burial, by water, of thousands of Aboriginal artefacts known to exist in the immediate catchment of Warragamba Dam.

Don’t lose sight of where the priority of the Berejiklian Government lies – it is in brick, bitumen and concrete at cost to the World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains National Park and its Aboriginal cultural heritage and wealth of natural heritage. Development dollars mean more than heritage to the government and that, too, at risk to future generations of people who are lured to buy housing on what the government and its developer lobbyists will declare safe to reside upon because of a raised dam wall.

The Colong Foundation has taken a lead role in protecting the World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains National Park from this engineering threat. We invite readers to view a News Release from the Foundation at https://www.colongwilderness.org.au/media-releases/2018/10/coalition-experts-condemn-dam-plan

Also, please let the government know your concern about raising the dam wall by signing the petition at giveadam.org.au