A NSW Upper House inquiry into dams released its final report last week, with the committee chair stating there was a “great danger” the government’s proposed projects would fulfil neither of its objectives — to ensure water security and keep rivers healthy.
The inquiry, established in August 2020, examined proposed projects including the Dungowan Dam and pipeline project, the Mole River Dam project, the Macquarie River re-regulating storage project, the Western Weirs project and the Menindee Lakes Water Savings project.
Committee chair and Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said the report showed some projects would have “severe and irreversible consequences” for native vegetation, fish and migratory birds.
“There is no doubt that there is a need to ensure reliable water supply in regional NSW, especially following the severe impact of the recent droughts.
“However, the government has not yet demonstrated that these projects are the best way of doing this,” she said.
The Mole River Dam, proposed for a site in the headwaters of the Murray-Darling Basin, was a focus of the report.
The committee stated it had concerns for the “economic viability” of the dam, and that it would impact on town water supplies in times of drought due to high-security water licence holders shifting to higher-value permanent crops.
The report also examined the proposed Menindee Lakes Water Savings Project, which the NSW Government announced earlier this year would be rescoped.
It found the project would negatively impact on Barkindji people along the Darling-Barka River.
“This inquiry consistently heard that these projects would have a significant negative impact on First Nations people,” Ms Faehrmann said.
“The importance of the Menindee Lakes to the Barkindji and other First Nations people was made abundantly clear to the committee, and it is evident that the proposed project would further disrupt their spiritual connection to their rivers and country by exacerbating the drying of the lakes.
“The government is yet to show that these projects are the best way of addressing water security in the regions.
“Further, it was not clear how these investment decisions were made, and if other more efficient and more sustainable options had been explored.”
The committee made seven findings and nine recommendations, ultimately recommending that the NSW Government “address the significant concerns raised during the inquiry in any independent planning processes assessing the relevant projects”, Ms Faehrmann said.
