Proposed ‘Warrai Dam better option for Darwin water supply’, says civil construction boss

THERE are better dam options for Darwin’s water supply, a civil construction boss has argued

Drone imagery of Manton Dam which has been considered as a water supply for Darwin

THERE are better options for water supply for Darwin than Manton Dam, a Darwin civil construction boss has argued.

Aldebaran Contracting chief executive Danny Skewes said he had been calling on government for the construction of Warrai Dam about 120km south of Darwin for years – a concept that has been in Federal Government discussions since 1988.

The proposed location of Warrai Dam

Mr Skewes said a larger water resource, like Warrai Dam, was inevitable and other proposals including using Manton Dam or harvesting wet season flood flows from the Adelaide River were a distraction.

“It can gravity feed to Darwin River Dam, with the potential to generate hydro-electricity,” he told the NT News.

“It would cost more to build but it provides a longer-term permanent solution.

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“I can’t understand why people would want to pump water out of a flowing river (Adelaide River), into Manton Dam, and then into Adelaide River Dam.”

In 2014, Warrai Dam was listed among then Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce’s top-30 dam priorities.

However, there have been previous criticisms of the Warrai project.

In 2014, Stuart Blanch from Environment Centre NT told the NT News he condemned the idea.

Kamu Aboriginal elders also objected, saying there were sacred burial sites scattered throughout the region which could be affected.

Mr Skewes said despite liaising with various policy makers, he had not been given a tangible response as to why Warrai Dam shouldn’t be built.

“There’s no explanation to why,” he said.

“If we’re going to secure Darwin’s water storage, why isn’t this being considered?”

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An NT Trade, Business and Innovation Department spokesman said an analysis of future water infrastructure prospects was about to begin but that a 2013 strategy found the Adelaide River Offstream Water Storage project and Manton Dam were better options.

“These options were preferred over others including new in-stream dams,” the spokesman said.

“The NT Government will shortly commence a detailed business case for options to ensure water security for Darwin and the Top End.”