No Tillegra Dam Group

NO TILLEGRA DAM GROUP

2 days ago

Facts not fiction on Tillegra.
Proposed 2006 - rejected 2010. Four years of assesment and investigation.
Tillegra proposal was assessed under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act by virtue of the Minister for Planning. A thorough merit assessment was
undertaken on the proposal where the Department commissioned 5 independent experts to review the following aspects of the proposal;
1. Need and Justification
2. Socio-economic evaluation
3. Hydrology modelling of Williams River
4. Hunter estuary hydrodynamics and water quality modelling ; &
5. Ecological impacts on the Hunter Estuary Wetlands Ramsar Site.
As a result of these assessments Tillegra was REJECTED .

Tourism. Due to Water Act and strict requirements for the control of water quality, drinking water dams are not open for tourism use. Chichester Dam in Dungog Shire is an example of this. Tillegra was assessed to be too steep due to the topography of the valley to allow access to the dam.
Thoughts - Future lobbying of Hunter Water could see options for eco friendly tourism options to be utilised at Chichester Dam, such as bike and walking tracks, camping grounds, etc.
Lostock Dam, Dungog Shire, agricultural dam used for tourism, water sports, camping. Extremely popular site, however economic stimulus to nearest town, minimum.

Roads. Funding for shire roads which was promised in the original Tillegra proposal has been honoured by the Government. This funding would have been to ensure the roads were capable of having the heavy vehicle access to the site. No other road funding has been proposed.

Needs and Justification reasons for rejection. Effects on river system.
Tillegra would have doubled the water extraction from the Williams River. An overall cumulative reduction of flows from the Williams River of 43% .
Down stream from Seaham Weir could be reduced as much as 80%.
84% of the hunters water supply would have been reliant on ONE single river catchment, the Williams. The Department considers this would render the regional water supply subject to vulnerability with this scenario and could be further exacerbated by the effects of reduced rainfall resulting from Climate change.
The potential of Tillegra for inequitable impacts on other licenced water users throughout the Hunter system ( another Murray /Darling fiasco ??).

Tillegra dam has been proposed, assessed and rejected.
All lands have been sold and are now in private ownership.
Hunter Water has spent $4 million on restoration of riparian areas on the Williams River.
Tillegra has been rejected by 2 governments
Tillegra is old news. ... See MoreSee Less

NO TILLEGRA DAM GROUP

4 months ago

In the lower Hunter, water efficiency programs for households & businesses, adoption
of water saving appliances, recycled water intuitives, changes in business & industry use,
& water saving requirements for new houses means the demand forecast is lower than it
would otherwise would have been. In fact, we are using about the same amount of water
now as in 1970, even though around 200,000 more people now live in the region.

LHWP 2014. ... See MoreSee Less

NO TILLEGRA DAM GROUP

4 months ago

By 2021, it is estimated that using water-efficient products will reduce domestic water
use across Australia by more than 100billion litres each year.

BASIX. Building and Sustainability Index.
Since, 2005, BASIX has applied to all new homes in NSW, aiming to reduce water & energy
use across the state.
BASIX is a planning policy the ensures new residential properties are designed to use less drinking water.
BASIX also applies to housing alterations and additions worth over $50,000.
WELS. Water efficiency labelling & standards scheme.
Began in 2005. Enforces mandatory rating & labelling for a range of appliances and fittings, & develops
minimum performance standards for products.

LHWP 2014. ... See MoreSee Less

NO TILLEGRA DAM GROUP

4 months ago

"In an environment of future uncertainties, this paper seeks to investigate the cost comparisons of long term water planning for a large urban city, where strong population growth & climate variability have strained current water supplies. The analysis suggests that over a longer time horizon, desalination provides a variable, cost effective & secure water supply alternative. "
"Coastal Australian cities are exposed to long term dry & wet cycles of 3-7 years driven by El Nino & La Nina conditions. As revealed in this study, this characteristic means that the existing dam storages servicing the major coastal cities of the country, that were previously sufficiently for the historically lower populations over the long dry periods, may be better supplemented by desalination expanded supply in the future. This will result in a more balanced & cost effective portfolio of rain dependent and rain independent bulk supply solutions to service the rapidly growing populations of these cities & also the increasingly variable climatic conditions."

Long Term Water supply planning in an Australian Coastal city: Dams or Desal.
Griffith University ... See MoreSee Less