Tweed gets a dam move on with future water supply

THE Tweed is forging ahead with a giant $70 million infrastructure project to make sure the shire does not run dry as its population soars.

Workers have been conducting archaeological digs and collecting Aboriginal artefacts from sites that would be inundated or partially inundated when Clarrie Hall Dam is raised 8.5m to double its footprint and treble capacity.

The shire’s booming population is expected to explode by almost 34,000 people by 2036 and the project would secure

The Clarrie Hall Dam wall.

the water supply to 2046.

Cultural heritage excavations are completed, marking a milestone in the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), says Tweed Shire Council.

Consultant Eco Logical Australia worked with Aboriginal stakeholders over nine weeks to explore 10 potential archaeological deposits.

The findings will be used to help develop an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Management Plan for the project.

Sub-consultant Coffey Australia will conduct a community Social Impact Assessment and it’s likely residents, industry and environmental groups will be contacted this month.

The EIS should be completed by February before it is put up for public comment by about March.

Earlier this year, the Bulletin reported the council had been snapping up properties that would be inundated by the impact of raising of the dam.

The project would see the dam wall raised by 8.5m to 70m, increasing capacity from 16,000ML to about 42,300ML.

Council water officer and project manager Robert Siebert previously warned that based on projections around population growth and climate change, the demand for water in Tweed would “exceed secure yield by 2026”.

Council data forecasts climate change will result in a 1 per cent rise in temperature by 2030, decreasing secure water yield to 11,250ML.