Tillegra Dam
About the Dam
In November 2006 the NSW Government announced a $342 million plan to secure the water future for the Lower Hunter and Central Coast regions. The plan will provide for population growth within the two regions for at least the next 60 years, and even longer with the Central Coast’s Mardi/Mangrove pipeline link. Importantly, the plan will also provide significant drought security for both areas.
The key component of this plan is the proposal to build a new 450 billion litre dam in the Upper Williams Valley, north of Dungog – known as Tillegra Dam. From as far back as 1952, Hunter Water has been looking at this site for a major water storage and has been buying land in the area for around 25 years. Tillegra Dam will form the backbone of Hunter Water’s water supply needs for the next 60 years. It will provide much-needed drought security for the Lower Hunter community, as well as cater for the predicted 160,000 additional people who, over the next 25 years, are expected to join over half a million people currently living in the region.
The proposal incorporates the construction of a dam wall at Tillegra Bridge. Water will be released into the Williams River and transferred to Hunter Water’s existing Grahamstown Dam via infrastructure at Seaham Weir and Balickera pump station. The dam will also be connected to the existing Chichester pipeline.
Environmental initiatives
Energy use associated with pumping water from the proposed dam will be offset by greenhouse initiatives. Hunter Water plans to plant 1.5 million trees to offset the carbon produced from the energy generation required to provide water services for the predicted growth in both the Lower Hunter and Central Coast for 40 years.
A hydro-power generation plant will also be built at Tillegra Dam. This will generate approximately 3,000 megawatt hours of energy each year, which equates to the annual energy demand of around 550 households.
How long does it all take?
Hunter Water expects the first water from Tillegra Dam will be available in around 2013.
Talking to the community
Hunter Water is consulting with various stakeholders, particularly those in the Upper Williams Valley/Dungog areas, on the implementation of this important project. Click here to view a summary history of Hunter Water’s communications and consultation activities since the NSW Government announced the Tillegra Dam proposal in November 2006.
Hunter Water is also consulting with the broader Hunter community on aspects related to demand management. We are reviewing our current demand management initiatives in the Integrated Water Resources Plan (IWRP) over the next 12 months, and this includes seeking community input on current and potential initiatives. Community comment on the draft plan - to be called WaterPlan H250 - will be sought around March/April 2008, prior to the plan being finalised.