Tweed Shire Council pushing forward with $304 million project to raise Clarrie Hall Dam

A North Coast shire is pushing forward with a dam raising project set to cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make sure there’s enough water for its booming population. Here’s the latest.

Clarrie Hall Dam.

A North Coast shire is pushing forward with a $304 million project to raise a dam to make sure there’s enough water for its booming population.

Tweed Shire Council has put a “comprehensive” Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) up for public exhibition as part of the longstanding project to raise Clarrie Hall Dam.

The undertaking to raise the dam by 8.5 metres comes as the population of the shire bordering the Gold Coast, Queensland is set to swell from about 100,000 to 130,000 residents by 2041.

An aerial photo of the existing Clarrie Hall Dam.

The dam - which has a catchment area of 60 square kilometres and a usable supply capacity of 15,000 megalitres - is on Doon Doon Creek, about 15 kilometres southwest of Murwillumbah.

The Tweed’s main water supply is the Tweed River and the dam helps keep the river flowing when water levels drop.

Michael Wraight, the council’s water and wastewater business and assets manager, said after the state government considers submissions, the decision to progress further would lie with Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully.

The council lodged the EIS with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure on September 19.

“That’s why I am encouraging all Tweed residents to have their say,” Mr Wraight said.

Construction would likely start in late 2026, assuming all levels of government give the project the tick.

Mr Wraight said the EIS was a “crucial step” in the planning process, which would help identify and rectify any potential impacts.

A rough map showing the proposed inundation area should the dam wall be raised.

“Raising the dam 8.5 metres would almost triple its capacity to about 42,300 megalitres, securing the Tweed’s water supply until at least 2065,” he said.

The EIS includes council-commissioned studies and covers safety, cultural heritage, biodiversity, flooding, water quality and hydrology, among other factors, such as the impact of construction.

“This EIS has been a number of years in the making, with our initial preparations starting in 2016,” Mr Wraight said.

“With the EIS now on public exhibition, our proposal to raise the dam wall is a vital step closer to becoming a reality.

Clarrie Hall Dam. Picture: Sally Hinton

“Raising the dam wall would ensure Council can continue to provide a safe, sustainable and affordable water supply for decades to come.”

The department states feedback on the EIS and the wider dam-raising proposal can be submitted through the NSW Planning Portal until November 6.

More information on the project is available on Tweed Shire Council’s website.

Information sessions on the project will be held at Kingscliff Bowls Club from 5pm-7pm on October 23 and at Murwillumbah CWA Hall from 12.30pm-2.30pm on October 24.

A session will also be held at Uki’s Holy Trinity Church from 5pm-7pm on October 24.

Online sessions are scheduled to be held from 10am-11.30am on October 25 and 5.30pm-7pm on October 28.

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Originally published as Tweed Shire Council pushing forward with $304 million project to raise Clarrie Hall Dam