Project: Wyangala Dam - Social Assessment
Preliminary environmental and social assessment to support critical infrastructure.
Client: WaterNSW
Project Dates: 2020 - 2021
Services Delivered:
Landowner consultation to investigate project feasibility
Environmental assessments
Engagement with Local Councils & Community Groups
Key messaging & communications collateral development
Project Background:
Part of a statewide investment in water infrastructure, the proposed Wyangala Dam Upgrade involved a major augmentation of the existing dam with the aim of improving water security and flood management in the Lachlan Valley. The NSW Government identified the Lachlan Valley in its State Infrastructure Strategy as the first of four ‘priority catchments’ for the investment and delivery of critical water infrastructure projects. Drought security and flood management have been dual challenges for the Lachlan Valley over the last 20 years and the inability of the regulated water system to mitigate weather events impacts the local water dependent agricultural and mining industries, as well as critical town water supplies.
The Challenge:
The social impacts of this project were diverse, including impacts to way of life, culture, livelihoods, community, health and wellbeing, accessibility, surroundings, and decision-making systems. Land erosion and flooding issues for close proximity agricultural properties, relocation of utilities and infrastructure, as well as Wyanglaa township being located near to the Dam and two holiday parks situated on the foreshore, were all areas requiring consultation. There were also heritage considerations with known sites of Aboriginal importance as well as significant environmental impacts including impact on water quality, pollution & flooding, and biodiversity impacts to vegetation and threatened species.
Our Approach:
Social Atlas undertook supporting consultation with landowners to discuss the impacts of raising the Dam wall on their property. Landowners varied from those with minor impacts to those with significant impacts and consultation sessions focused on understanding the land use at each individual property and the potential impacts of raised water levels.
Consultation was also facilitated with key stakeholders, such as local councils and community groups, to discuss the project’s benefits and impacts. Key messaging and supporting communication collateral was developed for the purposes of each consultation requirement to ensure messaging was tailored and audience-led.
Over the course of the project, Social Atlas also worked with a range of specialists across different technical areas, such as contamination, ecology, and heritage. Findings from all the initial areas of consultation were reported and discussed with WaterNSW and used to inform the project's subsequent design development. Utilising a specialist consultant from the team who had an environmental assessment background, coupled with extensive consultation experience ensured robust and informed consultation outcomes were achieved.
Project Outcomes:
The work that Social Atlas delivered was essential to understanding project impacts and supporting WaterNSW to assess the feasibility of the Wyangala Dam Upgrade. Whilst the project did not ultimately go ahead, consultation ensured this was an evidenced-based outcome. It also ensured that effective community consultation was embedded from an early stage of the project lifecycle and that environmental considerations were highlighted as part of this process.
