Project Update

A further significant milestone towards augmenting the shire’s water supply has been achieved. NSW Department of Planning has issued to Council the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements to be addressed in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement for raising the wall of Clarrie Hall Dam.

The Department of Planning and Environment has provided Council with the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements for the raising of Clarrie Hall Dam. The next steps will be for Council to review the requirements and engage a suitably qualified consultant to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with those requirements. The EIS will then be placed on public exhibition and the public will be able to make submissions detailing their support or otherwise for the project and detailing any concerns they may have.

It is anticipated the EIS will take some 12 to 18 months to prepare with exhibition in early 2020.

Council is continuing work on establishing vegetation restoration trial sites for the revegetation of the land it purchases for the raising of the dam and is working with the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust to ensure these restoration sites are managed in accordance with new biodiversity legislation.