NSW floods: Hills Shire mayor Peter Gangemi, Hawkesbury mayor Patrick Connolly seek to raise Warragamba Dam wall

After Sydney was yet again hit by devastating floods, two mayors have called for the Warragamba Dam wall to be raised as a matter of urgency. But not everyone thinks it is the right move.

The mayors of Hawkesbury and The Hills Shire are calling for the Warragamba Dam wall to be raised as a matter of urgency.

This comes after properties on the Hawkesbury-Nepean flood plain were yet again devastated by flood waters — some for the fourth time in 16 months.

Hawkesbury City mayor Patrick Conolly said residents were living in a never-ending nightmare.

“Our residents understand that living along the Hawkesbury River poses a risk, but to endure four floods months apart is extremely stressful and heartbreaking,” he said.

“Residents have told me that they are exhausted and completely over having to go through the clean-up and rebuild time and again … we need the NSW Government to raise Warragamba Dam wall now.”

Hills Shire mayor Peter Gangemi and Hawkesbury City mayor Patrick Conolly spoke about the need to raise the dam walls earlier this week.

Also present at Windsor was Hills Shire mayor Dr Peter Gangemi who also urged the government to raise the Warragamba Dam wall.

“The communities of western and north western Sydney are very supportive of the Warragamba Dam wall being raised, and I think the two mayors coming here together at the Hawkesbury River is a symbol of that,” Mr Gangemi said.

Warragamba Dam spilling over this Monday.

Like the Hawkesbury, The Hills Shire has been battered by floods in recent times.

“Our residents have been through four major floods in 16 months,” Mr Gangemi said.

“Raising the dam wall 14 metres could reduce flood levels by up to 3.5 metres in the Hawkesbury River … that is the action residents along the river are asking for.

“Every metre that the flood levels go higher, the amount of homes and businesses that get flooded as well as the cost of recovery all go up exponentially.

But not everyone is in agreement with these two mayors push for a higher dam wall.

Independent NSW MP Justin Field.

Speaking to The Hills Shire Times, independent member of the NSW Legislative Council and chair of the parliamentary inquiry looking into the proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall Justin Field said increasing its height would not stop flooding.

“People understand that no matter how high you build a dam wall there is always going to be a bigger flood,” Mr Field said.

“Raising the wall will only marginally reduce flood heights in the worst possible scenario which would still be much greater than this most recent event.

“That is why the focus of billions in spending should be on improved forecasting and warnings, improving evacuation roads, buying out the most at risk properties and changing planning rules to stop putting more people in harms way.”

Mr Field also said the NSW Government’s own analysis revealed flooding in the Hawkesbury Nepean comes from many catchments other than Warragamba.

The current proposal being considered by the NSW Government is to raise the wall by 14 metres.