Hawkesbury Community Alliance to host Warragamba Dam flood mitigation forum, all welcome

The forum is not intended to discuss the merits of raising the Warragamba Dam wall - which could not happen for years - but rather to discuss methods of flood mitigation that could be undertaken in the immediate future, ahead of the third La Nina and Indian Ocean Dipole events predicted to coincide with Spring 2022.

The forum's main focus will be to urge the NSW Government to change laws to allow the release of water from the dam before a flood event occurs.

ALSO READ: Council says raise Warragamba Dam wall - but would it stop floods?

The forum will hear from flood expert Dr Stuart Khan of the University of NSW, who will discuss flood mitigation options including whether it's possible to release water from the Warragamba Dam before the next flood - and if so, how much - and what the implications would be for Sydney's water security and for the Hawkesbury River communities.

The Hawkesbury Community Alliance is a newly-formed alliance of community groups that is designed to create a collective voice to make meaningful change in the Hawkesbury.

Foundation groups include Sick of North Richmond traffic Snarls, Hawkesbury Resident and Ratepayers Action (HRRA), Hawkesbury BLOR Action Group (BLORCAG), Hawkesbury Matters, Bilpin Regional Advancement Group (BRAG), North Richmond Districts Community Action Association (NRDCAA) and Hawkesbury Nepean Flood Mitigation Action Committee.

Hawkesbury Community Alliance spokesperson, Samantha Magnusson, said: "The NSW government stubbornly remains focussed on raising the dam wall, which is a project that will take several years. Our community needs flood mitigation immediately, not in the distant future."

Ms Magnusson said the NSW Government had "one lever to pull" in order to make a meaningful difference to flooding in the near future and that was to "mitigate the dam, ideally by 12 metres, but we need to change the legislation, which can happen immediately".

"No one at the state government level is stepping-up to save the Hawkesbury. This is a disaster. The government needs to be doing everything possible to protect the Hawkesbury River and the community now. We are running out of time," Ms Magnusson said.

ALSO READ: What can be done to lessen the impact of Hawkesbury floods?

Dr Khan is a Professor in the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Director Australian Graduate School of Engineering (AGSE). He is also a member of the Independent Metropolitan Water Advisory Panel, advising the NSW Government on the Greater Sydney Water Strategy.

Dr Khan is widely considered one of the leading experts in water management and will discuss all the aspects of lowering the Full Supply Level (FSL) of Warragamba Dam.

Dr Khan said many cities reserve some of the available water storage capacity in their dams for flood mitigation and this is "an opportunity that should be more seriously considered for Warragamba Dam".

He said it would have some implications for Sydney's drinking water security but there were strong arguments for reducing our reliance on Warragamba and replacing that supply security with "rainfall independent water sources, such as seawater desalination and purified recycled water".

"It is essential to consider the 'big picture' for water management in Sydney, rather than look at individual components in isolation," Dr Khan said.

The community forum, called 'Dam Flood Mitigation: It's Urgent!' will take place from 4-pm on Saturday, August 20, at Hawkesbury Race Club, 1 Racecourse Road, Clarendon. The forum is free to attend but registration is required at trybooking.com/events/landing/943758