More than 13,000 submissions from residents to Rous County Council’s Future Water Plan 2060

Opposite to the first review in 2020, when community feedback was mostly against a proposed Dunoon Dam, most submissions this year were for it.

The report to Rous’ meeting on December 16, 2020, advised councillors that the timely adoption of an updated long-term, water strategy was “imperative”.

Rous County Council received more than 13,000 submissions to the latest version of the Future Water Pan, and more than 10,000 asked to bring the 50GL Dunoon Dam project back to the table.

A total of 13,781 submissions were received by Rous, ten times the amount of submissions received for the first draft in 2020.

The current Future Water Plan does not include the Dunoon Dam, and instead uses a combination of underground water and other technologies.

Community feedback and the full plan will be discussed by Rous councillors this week in an extraordinary meeting.

Two sides of the same coin

Written submissions were received supporting the current plan (without the Dam) from organisations such as the Ballina Environment Society, Byron Environment Centre, Friends of the Koala Inc, Institute for Sustainable Futures, Lismore City Council, Lismore Greens, Member for Ballina Tamara Smith, Tuntable Creek Landcare and Water Services Association of Australia.

Organisations that submitted written statements against the current plan, and asking for the Dunoon dam project back, were the Casino Food Co-Op, Richmond Valley Council, and Save Alstonville Aquifer.

According to the report to council, of the 11,317 signatures received by Rous, 10,208 respondents supported the Dunoon dam proposal over all other options.

“This large petition was primarily focused on council’s decision at its meeting on December 16 2020, after the first public exhibition of the initial draft FWP 2060,” the document stated.

“The remaining submitters expressed support for groundwater, provided it in no way impacted agricultural users.”

A 3D version of what a possible Dunoon Dam would look like is available from the Rous County Council website.

According to the report, Rous received petitions with 10,208 signatures calling for the Dunoon dam proposal to be reconsidered.

“This along with written and online surveys, represents the highest response to any one project or issue that council has received,” it stated.

After the public exhibition period, Rous also received a letter from the NTSCorp — a Native Title Service Provider for Aboriginal Traditional Owners in NSW and the ACT — acting on behalf of the Widjabul Wia-bal Native Title claim group.

The letter requested that no decision in relation to the Dunoon dam proposal, including disposal of the land by Rous, should proceed without proper consultation with the group.

The Indigenous organisation also requested that Rous commission “a qualified archaeologist to prepare an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

assessment for the proposal area and commit to meaningful consultation with the group”.

Earlier this year, 80 traditional custodians rejected the idea of bringing the dam project back.

In 2020, the first version of the Future Water Plan received a total of 1298 online survey responses and other written submissions.

This happened in the middle of the Covid pandemic and made community participation harder to achieve.

At least 70% of the responses and submissions received in 2020 were from within Rous’ service area were provided by Lismore City residents – particularly those living in Dunoon, The Channon and other nearby areas, and where overwhelmingly against the dam.

The letter reaffirmed that the site remains “of cultural and spiritual importance”, as it contains numerous Aboriginal sites, including burial sites, with the ongoing protection of these sites being of the utmost importance.

Copies of submissions received during the public exhibition period are available on the Rous County Council website.

Why is Rous doing this?

The Future Water Project 2060 is the heart of the Integrated Water Cycle Management Strategy adoption, which means Rous will have a 30-year asset management plan, a financial plan for the same period, and a drought and emergency response contingency.

The need for this plan comes from the estimation that, by 2024, demand for water is forecast to start exceeding supply.

Also, Rous has estimated a 37 per cent increase in water demand by 2060 due to population growth.

Finally, the council has calculated that by 2060, the amount of water available will decline by almost 22 per cent due to climate change.

The report to Rous’ meeting on December 16, 2020, advised councillors that the timely adoption of an updated long-term, water strategy was “imperative”.