Save the Williams River

The Williams River has the most diverse and intact aquatic biotic communities in the Hunter Valley. Waterfall on the Williams River, NSW. Photo: Vanessa Culliford

25 years on from the iconic Franklin Campaign – can you believe we’re still fighting dams?

Save the Williams River Coalition and Tillegra Dam

Earlier this year The Wilderness Society Newcastle joined the Save the Williams River Coalition to campaign for the protection of the Williams River. According to a recent study “The Williams River has the most diverse and intact aquatic biotic communities in the Hunter Valley”.
 
The river starts in World Heritage Barrington Tops National Park and gently meanders down through the Williams valley. There are a variety of native species that call the Williams riverine system home; the platypus; a diversity of fish species including bass, mullet, eel and bullrout; five species of mussels; freshwater crayfish; long-necked turtles; as well as a rare stand of river oaks, covering 2 hectares.

The proposed Tillegra Dam at Dungog will destroy habitat for these species and affect ecosystems in ways we cannot predict yet.  It will bring about the inundation of over 2000 ha’s of irreplaceable agricultural land, and destroy 21 km’s of a precious riverine environment. 

It is a dam the size of Sydney Harbour - and a dam we do not need.

Despite the worst drought on record in NSW, the local water utility corporation - Hunter Water - has consistently reported high supply levels. Even at the end of this drought Hunter Water customers had no water restrictions; in fact, there was excess water available to supply the Central Coast. Additionally recent climate modeling for the region indicates rainfall will continue to be well above the state and national average.

Large dams have been shown to produce massive emissions of greenhouse gasses from rotting vegetation, bacterial action and inundated land; not to mention the emissions released through the construction of the dam. 

How can you help save this river and stop another dam?

A community outreach campaign has just been launched, encouraging members of the community to sign a campaign postcard and/or write a letter urging our state government not to go ahead with their proposal.

Writing a letter to your local MP or the Premier is a great way to help protect the Williams River.
- You do not need to be an expert; you simply need to care about protecting our environment and keeping the cost of living in the Hunter from rising further. The Wilderness Society have made writing a letter easy, by creating a special letter writing kit for you to download. It takes just 5 minutes of your time will help protect the Williams River

• Download your letter writing kit here
  

To find out more about how you can get involved in this campaign please contact Vanessa Culliford at The Wilderness Society in Newcastle on 4929 4395

Or email: Vanessa.culliford@wilderness.org.au