Raising Clarrie Hall Dam EIS nearing completion
09 December 2020
Community consultation set for early 2021
Preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed raising of Clarrie Hall Dam is nearing completion, with formal community consultation set for early 2021.
Council is proposing to raise the wall of the dam by 8.5 metres to double the dam’s footprint and treble its capacity from 16,000 megalitres to 42,300 megalitres. This will provide a secure water supply for the Tweed until at least 2046, to meet the needs of Tweed residents into the future.
Community consultation is a critical task required to finalise the EIS, which will go on public exhibition for comment in March 2021.
The community consultation will be undertaken by consultant Eco Logical Australia Pty Ltd and its sub-consultant The Comms Team.
The consultation will focus on explaining the EIS document to help the community understand the impacts of the proposed project so they can make informed submissions in support or against the proposal, or on aspects that should be considered in any approval of the project.
The EIS document will detail the impacts of the project on the environment (biodiversity, water, bushfire, soils and geology), during construction (noise and vibration, traffic and air quality) and on community and cultural values (historic and Aboriginal cultural heritage and social amenity).
Plain English summaries will be provided for the key technical studies in the EIS. These summaries will be published in the Tweed Link and supported by animated video presentations on digital platforms.
Two information sessions will be held in the main population centres of Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads and a third in Uki. Interested community members who cannot attend an information session will be invited to phone the consultants to discuss any aspects of the EIS of concern to them.
A short survey designed to gauge general support or opposition to the project will be published on Your Say Tweed in about February 2021 for anyone to register and complete.
Anyone interested in making a submission on the EIS can register to ‘Stay Informed’ at yoursaytweed.com.au/RaisingClarrieHall. Council can then email you directly when the EIS goes on public exhibition and when the community consultation meetings are scheduled.
All submissions to the EIS must be formally considered and responded to in a Response to Submission Report which, together with any modifications to the project and EIS, will go to the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) for final assessment.
DPIE will then make a recommendation to the Minister on whether the project should go ahead and, if so, under what conditions. Assuming the Minister recommends that the project proceeds, the final decision on whether to progress to construction will be made by the elected Tweed Shire Council.
Council is receiving funding support for the EIS as part of NSW Government’s Safe and Secure Water Program.
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Caption: Preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed raising of Clarrie Hall Dam is nearing completion.