Recent rainfall and flooding has resulted in further calls to raise the Wyangala and Burrinjuck Dams walls. Federal Member for Riverina Michael McCormack has reaffirmed his support for raising the Wyangala Dam wall after the Prime Minister and NSW Premier visited Forbes last week.
The renewed call came as Forbes Shire residents and businesses endured a fifth significant flood event in 12 years – with the threat of more imminent flooding. Mr McCormack said the local community has been calling for the dam wall raising for several years.
“Forbes has experienced the trauma of a flood event an average of once every seven years since 1887, including three over the past six years,” Mr McCormack said.
“If it is the right time for the NSW State Government to push for the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall by 14 metres, then Wyangala Dam also needs to be a part of the plan to bolster water security and for future flood proofing.
“Raising the dam wall at Wyangala by 10 metres to 95 metres will add 650 gigalitres of extra capacity to help flood mitigation.”
Mr McCormack said governments needed to work together to build more water infrastructure.
“As Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, an extra $3.5 billion was added to the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund to build dams such as Wyangala,” he said.
“Governments need to build more water infrastructure to harness water for the inevitable times of drought and to reduce the impact of the floods we are seeing unfold before our eyes.
“The Wyangala Dam plays an important role in regulating water flows and minimising the impact of significant rain events downstream – raising the wall will clearly improve this capacity.
“It is not only devastating for local residents and their homes when the Lachlan breaches its banks; traffic along the Newell Highway – a significant freight corridor of commerce through the heart of New South Wales – ground to a halt for six weeks in 2016 due to flooding.”
A study reportedly found the closure of the Newell Highway cost the national economy some $150 million – which has been described as a conservative estimate.
“I appreciate there would be a considerable cost involved in raising the dam wall,” Mr McCormack said.
“The original costs were $650 million split on a 50/50 basis between Federal and State Government.
“When I had responsibility for water infrastructure, I made good the Federal share of what was being asked.
“If it is going to now cost more then let’s do the work to see how much and get a business case done.
“While raising the wall might cost a large amount, can we afford not to do it?”
Raising the wall could potentially increase Burrinjuck’s capacity from 1000 gigs to 4000 gigs which would inevitably improve management capabilities, storage for environmental water, irrigation, hydro “green energy” and future proof larger weather events and flood mitigation”.
This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 27 October 2022.
