Dam raising EIS kicks off as Tweed ends Week 1 of water restrictions

Friday 20 December 2019

At the end of the first week of level 2 water restrictions in the Tweed, Council consultants Eco Logical Australia began work to prepare the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed raising of Clarrie Hall Dam.

The raising of the dam wall is one of the major projects Council is undertaking to secure our water supply into the future.

Raising the wall will double the dam’s footprint, treble its capacity and provide security of supply to 2046.

The Eco Logical Australia team, led by Project Manager Robert Cawley and Principal Hydrogeologist

Dr Richard Cresswell, visited the dam on Wednesday 18 December after being briefed on the project by Council.

In the New Year, they will take all the work done by Council to date including surveys, seismic studies, flood hydrology studies, flora and fauna studies and cultural heritage investigations to the next stage being the preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement.

Preparation of the EIS will take between 12 and 18 months. It will then be placed on public exhibition and Council will seek submissions from the public and interested parties.

All submissions must be formally considered and responded to in a Response to Submission Report which, in conjunction with the EIS, will go to the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment for assessment and making a recommendation to the Minister.

While the Minister or their delegate provides the conditions of the environmental approval, Council makes the final determination on whether the raising of the wall of Clarrie Hall Dam can go ahead.

During preparation of the EIS, Eco Logical will work with Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) to address recommendations made in the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment (ACHA) prepared for the project. Addressing the recommendations will include further investigation and assessment of potential archaeological deposits and the development of protocols for the community collection, recording, analysis and long-term management of cultural material. Eco Logical will prepare a final ACHA, including a draft Cultural Heritage Management Plan for the project, should the proposal be approved.

Before the draft EIS goes on public exhibition for comment early in 2021, Council will engage with the community to assist community members to understand the process and make submissions on the EIS.

Council is committed to full transparency on this project and all documentation is publicly available at https://www.yoursaytweed.com.au/RaisingClarrieHall