Warragamba Dam raising in jeopardy after agency response fails on several fronts

The NSW government’s promise to raise the Warragamba Dam wall appears in tatters, with the Department of Planning and Environment warning significant further evidence is required for the project to even proceed to assessment

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has moved to make raising of Warragamba Dam a key policy difference with Labor, declaring he would “put people before plants”. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

The NSW government’s promise to raise the Warragamba Dam wall appears in tatters, with the Department of Planning and Environment warning significant further evidence is required before the project can even proceed to assessment.

After appearing to contradict each other, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Treasurer Matt Kean in mid-February said the government’s intention was to proceed with the multi-billion project to extend the dam by 14m to mitigate flooding events during the next term of parliament, if re-elected.

With Western Sydney likely to be a key battleground at the March 25 election, Mr Perrottet moved to make the dam raising a key policy difference with Labor in late last year, fast-tracking the project’s approval process as he declared he would “put people before plants”.

In November, WaterNSW dismissed a near 2500 submissions objecting to the dam raising, claiming the project would deliver an overall economic benefit to the state despite failing to provide the costs of environmental offsets, predicted to reach into the billions of dollars.

But a letter sent from the ­Department of Planning and ­Environment in January, ­obtained by The Australian, reveals ­WaterNSW’s response was considered insufficient in nine separate areas, with deputy secretary David Gainsford calling on the agency to provide significantly more information.

This included resolving ­community concerns about the threat to Aboriginal cultural heritage in the area, greater ­assessment of the risks to biodiversity, while ensuring the outstanding universal values of the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park were maintained.

“The Department notes agencies, Council and public submissions have provided comments with regard to Aboriginal Cultural heritage … The Department requires that evidence is provided to resolve agency advice and Council and public submission comments,” the letter said.

“Noting comments provided by ICOMOS and the World ­Heritage Committee differ from WaterNSW position, provide an assessment that the potential impacts are consistent with maintaining existing World Heritage status.”

Mr Gainsford also reminds WaterNSW a finalised offset plan is also necessary to ensure the project can be assessed by the department.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

The NSW government was criticised in November after a WaterNSW report suggested Australia’s international obligations under the World Heritage Convention could be ignored as an avenue for proceeding with the dam raising.

Last month, an adviser to the United Nations offered a scathing assessment of the dam raising, saying the Blue Mountains World Heritage listing could be lost if the project went ahead.

Critics of the dam raising argue the project will damage parts of the 270sq km Blue Mountains National Park and threaten culturally significant Indigenous sites, all while failing to reduce the risk of flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley.

But the NSW government insists the project is the only infrastructure option ­offering protection to vulnerable residents and businesses.

Mr Perrottet has previously called on the commonwealth to split the cost of raising Warragamba Dam but has said the state government would go it alone if necessary.

In the state government’s recent half-yearly budget review, however, no funding was set aside for the project. A spokesman for WaterNSW said it was in the process of responding to submissions received during the environmental impact statement’s second public exhibition period.