Hunter Water awash with contradictions
Hunter Water is sending out contradictory messages on its water policies through recent announcements which question the need and usefulness of the proposed Tillegra Dam. Hunter Water recently announced that the region’s water saving is on par with that of the major cities in Australia currently under water restrictions, even though very few residents have installed rainwater tanks.
Hunter Water Assets and Operations General Manager, Russell Pascoe said that it was hard to convince people to install tanks when local water storages are close to capacity in the lower Hunter. This announcement also comes in the wake of the NSW Government’s announcement that Sydney saved approximately 57 billion litres of water in 2007.
It poses the question, if rate payers are in fact decreasing their water consumption without installing rainwater tanks, and there hasn’t been a need for restrictions and if local water storage facilities are at capacity, then is the prehistoric, environmentally unsound and ridiculously expensive construction of Tillegra Dam necessary?
“If you look at the figures recently announced by Hunter Water the construction of the Tillegra Dam is unnecessary. It also suggests that there is some other reason for Hunter Water’s determination to construct a dam that really isn’t needed, this looks like a ‘water grab’ of mammoth proportions” Chair of the No Tillegra Dam Group, Sally Corbett said.
“The Department of Environment and Climate Change has said the average household could save 40% of their water usage by installing a 2000-4000 litre rainwater tank. We really should be promoting these water saving techniques before resorting to the construction of an expensive and environmentally damaging dam.”
The proposed site for Tillegra Dam is located approximately 230km north of Sydney on the Upper Williams Rivers in the Dungog Shire Council. The estimated cost of the dam’s construction is approximately $340 million however due to geological instabilities in the area this cost is set to rise considerably.
For more information on the No Tillegra Dam Group visit https://www.notillegradam.com
Interviews and high res. images available upon request.
Media contact: Caroline Neill Ryan 0413 765 138