Tillegra dam project could blow out Hunter water bills by 88%

Commenting on a story in today’s Newcastle Herald (“Dam may top $1bn: expert”), Dr Kaye said: “If Hunter Water pushes ahead with the Tillegra dam, Lower Hunter households will pay a terrible price for the Corporation’s  mistake.

“Our modelling shows that expert predictions of a $700 million cost blow out to make the dam safe against earth slippages would see household bills rise by $416 a year. That would be an 88 per cent increase on existing bills. 

“Even if the cost rose by a modest $300 million, annual household bills would jump by $250.

“Hunter Water is gambling with the family budget. They are committing to the project without properly investigating the geology of the site.

“Not only is Tillegra likely to be very expensive but it is entirely unnecessary.

“Tillegra Dam is shaping up to be the Lower Hunter’s very own version of Sydney’s desalination plant.

“Initially the dam was planed to supply the Central Coast. However with federal funding for the ‘missing link’ pipeline between Mardi and Mangrove Creek dams, water from Tillegra will not be needed in Wyong or Gosford.

“Then it was for drought relief in the Lower Hunter. This makes even less sense after the Lower Hunter went through one of the driest periods in the recorded history of South East Australia without even needing water restrictions.

“Now Hunter Water Corporation is claiming the Tillegra Project is needed to secure long term water supply, despite having said in their 2003 Integrated Water Resource Plan that ‘a new water source will not be required within the next 30 years’  and that Tillegra would be far less cost effective than many demand management and water conservation initiatives.

“Hunter Water is about to force residents to pay for an expensive dam they don’t need,” Dr Kaye said.

For more information:    John Kaye 0407 195 455

[via Dr John Kaye MLC Media Release Thursday 22 May 2008 link]