New South Wales is getting its first new dam built in more than 30 years, all thanks to the local government and the Federal Water Infrastructure. This is included in a billion-dollar investment focused on the entire country. The New South Wales dam will cost around $480 million in total and it will be built right near Tamworth, in Dungowan. The focus here is to offer water security for the regional center.
Aside from that, the local government is also investing $650 million in an upgrade for the Wyangala Dam. They are also offering initial funds for the 100 GL Border Rivers project found right at the border of Queensland.
The reason why this project exists is because the New South Wales communities are dealing with a huge drought in the region, and the Federal and State governments are working together to eliminate that issue. According to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the government is committed to solve this problem as quickly as possible. The draught is not something they are taking lightly.
Their focus is to handle this problem quickly while also investing in a method that will provide drought resilience in the future as well. While this requires a lot of financial support and assistance, the state and federal governments are focused on handling that while splitting the costs evenly at 50/50%. According to Scott Morrison, he wants to free up New South Wales funding for all town water projects in the entire state.
This is a very important aspect because it focuses on the needs of the local population and how important it really is for them to have things like water security and supply. As you can imagine, such an ambitious project is not happening overnight, but it’s a great investment in the future of the region. Water security is crucial for any community, and the New South Wales officials understand that.
Gladys Berejiklian, the New South Wales Premier stated that the government is offering $3 billion for water security and water relief. That includes the funding of 14 pipelines and the creation of various dams like the New South Wales dam mentioned here. Berejiklian described the building process of this new dam as something iconic. This is the first dam created in the region since the Split Rock Dam built in 1987 on the Manila River.
All the water infrastructures like this are necessary in regards to boosting the New South Wales water security and water supply. The current drought is a clear sign that something needs to be done, and creating a new dam will definitely be very efficient in this situation.
Not all groups are ok with building dams. The Nature Conservation Council believes that the New South Wales government needs to perform an assessment of the water infrastructure. There were some issues in the past like mass fish kills. They state that the government stopped building dams 30 years ago for a reason, and proper assessment needs to be done before pursuing this idea.
One thing is certain, this decision is revolutionary for New South Wales as a whole and it might help provide the much-needed water security this region wanted for a very long time. While building a new dam will definitely take a lot of time, it’s safe to say that this is a great investment for the local communities and it will certainly pay off in the long term.
Source: www.watersource.awa.asn.au