Rainfall Data and Independent Study Pour Cold Water on Tillegra Dam

Friday, 07 November 2008 21:00

TEC Urban Campaigner Mr Leigh Martin said “Despite Hunter Water’s claims that climate change will reduce rainfall runoff, modelling by the Department of Environment and Climate Change shows that runoff is likely to increase. Meanwhile an independent assessment has shown that alternative options can provide drought security for less than half the costs of Tillegra Dam”.

The recent “Summary of Climate Change Impacts – Hunter Region” report released by the Department of Environment and Climate Change as part of the NSW Climate Change Action Plan reveals that climate modelling predicts increased annual runoff in the Hunter due to increased rainfall in all seasons except winter.

A separate report by BIS Shrapnel included in a submission to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) concludes that current supplies are sufficient to meet population growth of 160,000 by 2031 and that alternative measures (including staged upgrades to Grahamstown Reservoir) can provide drought security for $150M compared to approximately $406M for Tillegra Dam. (Read TEC's submission to IPART by clicking here). 

The reports contradicting Hunter Water’s justification for Tillegra Dam follow earlier revelations that Hunter Water had seriously underestimated the size of price rises needed to pay for the dam. TEC has called for an independent assessment of the need for Tillegra Dam in the current IPART review of Hunter Water’s prices.

“It is clear that Hunter Water cannot be trusted to provide accurate, reliable data on the cost and need for Tillegra Dam. After being forced to redo its sums on the impact on customers bills Hunter Water’s has been caught out once again using rubbery figures to justify Tillegra Dam,” Mr Martin said.

TEC has called on the Government to shelve Tillegra Dam in next week’s mini-budget and commit to an independent assessment of all available options to manage the supply and demand for water in the Hunter”.

“With Hunter Water storages close to full despite the worst drought on record there is simply no need to rush headlong into an expensive and environmentally damaging mistake. Hunter Water customers and NSW taxpayers need a full, objective analysis of all the available options. We are confident that any such assessment would reject Tillegra Dam,” Mr Martin said.

Read TEC's submission to the EPBC referral relating to the proposed Tillegra Dam