Wollondilly Shire Council has welcomed the call for the establishment of a Select Committee that would inquire into and report on the NSW Government’s proposal to raise the Warragamba Dam wall.

A Notice of Motion by Independent Member of the Legislative Council, Mr Justin Field seeks to appoint a committee that will investigate conflicting reports on the height for the dam wall raising, and any plans for future property development on flood prone land on the Hawkesbury Nepean Floodplain.

The Committee would also look at engagement between the NSW Government and the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in relation to the project and the adequacy of the Environmental Impact Assessment process to date.

Mayor Matthew Deeth said, “Wollondilly Council has been vocal in its opposition to the proposed raising of the wall and is concerned about the impact it will have on our national parks, cultural sites and world heritage areas”.

“By raising the dam wall by 14 metres, the NSW government says it will reduce flood risk in the Hawkesbury-Nepean valley; but one of the concerns many people have about this is that the wall raising will make it easier for developers to build more and more housing on flood-prone land in Western Sydney”.

“Council has been awaiting the release of the Environmental Impact Statement. The establishment of a Select Committee would make sure all the environmental impacts have been thoroughly considered” he said.

A United Nations report, released for a recent World Heritage Committee meeting assessing the state of the Blue Mountains’ World Heritage listing, has also raised concerns about the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall.

The report highlighted a number of concerns and called on the New South Wales and Australian Governments to send any environmental impact statements before a decision was made about the future of the dam.