No Tillegra Dam Group

Hunter Water refuse to pay for No Tillegra Dam Group’s Geotechnical Expertise

Hunter Water put out their customary advertisement for the Tillegra Dam proposal in last week’s Chronicle. Apparently the project has been sent to Frank Sartor, Minister for Rubber Stamping Development Proposals. Roll on the next election to get rid of this mob.

What caught my eye was a section called “Geological Investigations”. It referred to a meeting with the No Tillegra Dam Group. Hunter Water stated the meeting “did not meet it’s stated objective” because Hunter Water did not want to cover the costs of the No Tillegra Dam Group’s “investigations to date”.

In July this year I attended a public meeting in Dungog set up by Hunter Water supposedly to reassure the concerned public about dam safety issues. The Hunter Water engineer put up a graphic of a side view of the proposed dam site. Mysteriously, he had the famous Tillegra Fault Line outside the dam area.

Graham Holt, who I understand is a highly qualified geologist and geotechnical expert, pulled the Hunter Water engineer up on this and suggested he put the Tillegra Fault Line under the dam wall where it would be and reminded him of the fault line on the fragile eastern wall of the site! The engineer blustered out his excuses and left me with the impression that Hunter Water do not take their fault lines seriously.

Mr Holt is very concerned about the suitability of this site for safely holding such a vast body of water. I understand he has devoted many unpaid hours to extensive research into the geology of this site and knows the area intimately. If Hunter Water want to harness his expertise they can pay for it. They can then have a truly independent and thorough investigative report into the geological nature of the site. Trouble is they don’t want to pay for something that could wreck their project in my opinion.

As one who lives a few kilometres down the Williams River from the proposed dam wall I take no comfort from Hunter Water’s investigations, they have too much invested in the project.

Simon Brownbridge
Fosterton