Tillegra fails environmental, social and economic tests

Dr Kaye said: "The Environmental Assessment Report is a triumph of engineering lust to build a big project over the best interests of the community, the economy and the environment.
 
"The Report continues the same myths and cover-ups that have been the hallmark of Hunter Water's case for the $477 million project.
 
"Nothing in the Report changes the fact that this dam is unnecessary, damaging and extremely expensive.
 
"Hunter Water's case for the need for Tillegra has been comprehensively discredited. Arguments about drought security, population growth and climate change impacts have already been shown to be irrelevant or wrong.
 
"There are cheaper and much lower impact solutions that continue to be dismissed.
 
"The Report proves that Hunter Water wants this dam, regardless of its impacts on the environment, the local community and household budgets. 
 
"Building artificial replica forests and aquatic theme parks might work for Disneyland but they are poor compensation for the loss of an irreplaceable river channel, wetlands and the home of 157 species of animals.
 
"Tillegra will take out 19 kilometres of the Williams River. It will devastate fish species, damage the Hunter estuary and Ramsar-listed wetlands and cause the slow death of the downstream river channel.
 
"Hunter Water is trying to buy its way out of responsibility for destroying the ecology of the Williams River, its tributaries and the Hunter wetlands.
 
"The failure to build a fish elevator shows how little regard Hunter Water has for migratory species in the Williams River. Hatcheries might appease the recreational fishing interests but Tillegra will forever destroy important species that will not be able to pass through the 76 metre high dam wall," Dr Kaye said.
 
For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455