A series of face-to-face meetings will be held in Tamworth next Wednesday and Thursday (23 and 24 Nov) to update the community about the public exhibition of the New Dungowan Dam and Pipeline Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

NSW Lands and Water Minister and Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson said it was a great opportunity for people to meet the project team in person to get a clearer understanding of the EIS process and to share their feedback.

“Talking directly to the experts is a fantastic way to get your head around the project because they know the detail better than anyone else and are in the best position to answer people’s questions, no matter how tough they are,” Mr Anderson said.

“They can explain the benefits of the New Dungowan Dam and Pipeline and how it will diversify water sources, improve water reliability and boost drought resilience for Tamworth and the Peel Valley.

“The team has been carrying out monthly face-to-face and/or remote community engagement since June 2020 to keep locals informed every step of the way.

“The dam and pipeline are considered Critical State Significant Infrastructure because we recognise the project is the only one that will increase storage capacity and improve water security for Tamworth, particularly during droughts, while maintaining water for farming communities across the Peel Valley.”

Since the start of the project, the government has run more than 60 community events, held 100 plus stakeholder briefings, conducted over 400 landholder meetings, engaged with 18 registered Aboriginal parties, sent nearly 67,500 emails, made around 1500 phone calls and had more than 35,500 visits to the project website.

In addition, the New Dungowan Dam and Pipeline has injected more than $2.9 million into the local economy so far and employed 124 local businesses.

The face-to-face meetings include:

Project updates:

• Wednesday 23 November, 5-5.30pm: Dungowan Station  
• Thursday 24 November, 9-9.30am: Department of Primary Industries Sustainable Farming Centre 
• Thursday 24 November, 5-5.30pm: IBIS Styles Tamworth 

Community Drop-in sessions:  

• Wednesday 23 November, 5.30-7pm: Dungowan Station  
• Thursday 24 November, 9.30-11am: Department of Primary Industries Sustainable Farming Centre 
• Thursday 24 November, 5.30-7pm: IBIS Styles Tamworth  

There will also be a Q&A webinar on Wednesday 30 November between 5-7pm. 

The EIS is on public display until 7 December at the following locations:  

• Department of Planning and Environment Office – Monday-Friday 9am-5pm 
• Tamworth Regional Council – Monday-Friday 8.30am-4pm 
• Tamworth Public Library – Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 10am-4pm 

To view the New Dungowan Dam and Pipeline EIS please click here.

To register for the webinar, go to: https://swipengage.com/#/EIS_RSVP

If you would like to contact the project team directly please email them at dungowandamproject@dpie.nsw.gov.au