THE mooted dam at Cranky Rock appears to have been scrapped, with the state government on Tuesday revealing raising the Wyangala Dam wall was a preferred option.
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The plan to raise the wall by 10 metres was one recommendation to emerge from an investigation into water security options for the region.
Minister for Regional Water Niall Blair said the Wyangala undertaking’s benefits vastly exceeded the Cranky Rock proposal.
Raising the wall was found to be the superior option in terms of cost, flood mitigation, hydrological modelling benefits, construction risk and environmental sustainability.
“The study, completed in two phases, examined raising the wall at Wyangala Dam by 10 metres against constructing a new dam near Cranky Rock,” Mr Blair said.
“Raising the wall was found to be the superior option in terms of cost, flood mitigation, hydrological modelling benefits, construction risk and environmental sustainability.”
The site of the dam at Cranky Rock, on the Belubula River near Canowindra, had been proposed by the government as a solution to the region’s water security issues as far back as 2014.
MAP: Where is Cranky Rock?
Then member for Calare John Cobb was among those pushing for the project to get the green light, but backlash from corners who argued it would destroy the nearby Cliefden Caves stalled the push for its funding.
12 months ago the caves were granted state heritage listing, believed at the time to be a dagger for the proposed dam.
In that light, Tuesday’s announcement could well be the final nail in the Cranky Rock’s coffin, but Mr Blair said the Wyangala project would enable water-control measures to counteract both drought and floods.
“Currently, the water delivery system in the Lachlan Valley lacks the capacity and capability to mitigate in periods of drought and flood and the reliability of water availability is well below acceptable standards,” he said.
“This plan will resolve that.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW Rick Colless said the community needed long-term solutions.
“We want to make sure that the recommendation taken forward considers NSW taxpayers and is future-proofing communities,” Mr Colless said.
“Water security is the most critical issue facing our regional communities and we are doing the necessary work to make sure future generations don’t have to fear loss of water.”
The government will consider the recommendations before making a decision regarding the funding for the necessary engineering studies and statutory environmental approvals.
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