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Work to prepare the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposal to raise Clarrie Hall Dam is continuing, with Council appointing consulting firm KBR to complete the EIS.
Director of Engineering David Oxenham said the EIS was now earmarked for lodgement with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment in the first half of 2024.
“By lodging the EIS, the proposal to raise the dam wall will progress one step closer to gaining NSW Government approvals,” Mr Oxenham said.
“But first, a registered environmental assessment practitioner must declare the EIS complete, accurate, of a high quality and easy to understand.
“We are confident with the expertise of KBR, the EIS will meet these strict requirements.”
Should the proposal gain all NSW and Australian Government approvals, and Council decides to proceed, construction to raise the dam wall is expected to start in late 2026.
Mr Oxenham said raising the dam wall was vital to securing the Tweed’s water supply so Council could continue to provide a safe, sustainable and affordable water supply.
‘We’re proposing to raise the dam wall by 8.5 metres to a height of 70 metres,” he said.
“This would almost triple the storage capacity of the dam to about 42,300 megalitres and secure our water supply until at least 2065.”
To ensure the EIS is ready for submission, KBR and their sub-consultants are now reviewing the cultural heritage, social impact, aquatic ecology and biodiversity assessments that were undertaken in 2020.
They are also confirming the proposed footprint, re-running flood and flows modelling, reassessing the likely impact of climate change, reviewing and updating all technical reports, and advising Council on whether additional studies need to be done.
Mr Oxenham said everyone in the Tweed would be given the opportunity to have their say on the completed EIS after the Department of Planning and Environment conducts a high-level review and deems the EIS suitable for public exhibition.
“We anticipate that will happen in mid-2024,” he said.
“At that stage, the draft EIS will be exhibited on the Department’s website.
“In the meantime, I invite Tweed residents and other people interested in the proposal to continue to have their say on the EIS preparations through Council’s Your Say Tweed website.
“The project team will soon identify additional opportunities for the community to provide feedback and we will make sure we keep the community informed about these activities.”
To date, community feedback has directly influenced the scope of the proposal and the studies and activities Council has undertaken for the EIS.
Work on the proposal to raise the Clarrie Hall Dam wall began in December 2015, when Council approved the planning phase.
The initial EIS preparations began in December 2019 and continued to March 2021, when Council, through a consultant, conducted an intense period of community consultation for 3 weeks. This was conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The contract with the consultant ended in 2021 and after going to market last year, Council appointed KBR to complete the EIS.
While the EIS is being prepared, Council is continuing to negotiate with private property landowners impacted by the proposal. Two of 16 properties are yet to be purchased or part purchased.
Go to yoursaytweed.com.au/raisingclarriehall-eis to find out more.
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