TELL SUSSAN TO DROP THE DUD-DAM

Send your message now

Dear Sussan Ley,
cc. Hon. Terri Butler cc. Hon. Matt Kean cc. Hon Stuart Ayres cc. WaterNSW I call on you to protect the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area from the NSW Government's proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall.
It has just been revealed through NSW <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/leaked-charts-undercut-case-to-lift-warragamba-dam-wall-opponents-20190803-p52djf.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Government leaks that raising Warragamba Dam wall would be largely ineffective at mitigating severe floods in the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley. </a> The leaked graphs show the anticipated billion-dollar dam project only offers a very small reduction for the probable maximum flood.
Given the Howard Government inscribed the Blue Mountains on the World Heritage List in 2000, it is incumbent on you as Australia's Environment Minister to ensure the iconic Bue Mountains is not placed on the World Heritage In Danger List through the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall.
UNESCO has stated about that "such inundation of any areas within the [Blue Mountains] property is likely to impact on its outstanding universal value (OUV)."
Raising the dam wall would inundate 65 kilometres of wilderness rivers, permanently scar 4,700 hectares of world heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park and destroy hundreds of ancient cultural and natural heritage sites.
The Australian Department of Energy and Environment have said they believe “the impact of increased flood water levels within the dam is likely to have extensive and significant impacts on listed threatened species and communities and world and national heritage values of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA)."
The NSW Government should not allow further development on the Hawkesbury-Nepean floodplain and should implement international best-practice flood management practices, <a href="https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/wildrivers/pages/310/attachments/original/1554349542/Professor_Jamie_Pittock_-_A_report_on_the_alternative_flood_management_measure.pdf?1554349542" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as put forward by the Australian National University</a>, to ensure the safety of existing communities.

I want to volunteer

TELL SUSSAN TO DROP THE DUD-DAM

The NSW Government want to raise the Warragamba Dam wall by 17 metres and flood the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area - risking its UNESCO listing.

Raising the Warragamba Dam wall by 17 metres would drown 4,700 hectares of Blue Mountains National Parks and 65kms of wild streams upstream from the raised dam wall.

If you don’t want magnificent wild places drowned in silt-laden dam water, take action today.

Sign here now, and tell the Federal Environment Minister to step-up save one of Australia's unique UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Blue areas that would be inundated are home to at least 48 threatened species. The nationally threatened Camden White Gum and critically endangered Regent honeyeater would likely become extinct if the dam goes ahead.

The raising of the dam wall is a developer-driven move that will make it easier to build on flood-prone areas in Western Sydney – against the wishes of local communities.

So please, add your name to the petition today. Tell Sussan Ley to do her job to protect Sydney's wilderness backyard.

SHARE

Send your message now

TELL SUSSAN TO DROP THE DUD-DAM