| Tillegra Dam | |
|---|---|
  Tillegra Dam Location of the proposed Tillegra dam | |
 Interactive map of Tillegra Dam | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | 20 km (12 mi) NW ofDungog,New South Wales |
| Coordinates | 32°19′13″S151°41′10″E / 32.32028°S 151.68611°E /-32.32028; 151.68611 |
| Status | Cancelled |
| Construction cost | A$477 million (est) |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Williams River |
| Height | 80 m (262 ft) |
| Length | 800 m (2,625 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 450,000 megalitres (360,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 194 km2 (75 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi) |
| Website hunterwater.com.au | |
Tillegra Dam was a proposed dam on theWilliams River to be located 20 km (12 mi) northwest ofDungog, in theHunter Region ofNew South Wales, Australia. It was first proposed in the 1970s but a formal proposal was not announced until 2006. Community opposition and changing needs saw the end of the proposal in November 2010.Hunter Water divested itself of its Tillegra landholding in 2015, permanently ending the proposal.[1]
The Tillegra Dam was first proposed byHunter Water in the 1970s, but was deferred indefinitely in the 1980s due to the success ofuser pays pricing.[2] On 13 November 2006, theNSW Government announced proposals for aA$300 million dam at Tillegra to supply water to the LowerHunter Region andCentral Coast. The justification for the dam was based primarily onclimate change and population growth in the Hunter Region.[3]
The No Tillegra Dam Group was formed to prevent the building of the dam. Opponents claimed the dam proposal was grossly excessive for need, will drown valuable agricultural land and greaterwater efficiency, demand management and recycling would eliminate the need for the dam.[4]
On 28 November 2010.PremierKristina Keneally announced the cancellation of the dam after the Planning Minister refused to approve it.[5] The refusal was based on both the potential for environmental damage and the lack of proper consideration of alternativewater security measures.[6] The state government had already spent $100 million on the project.