AN overflowing Wyangala Dam has added an element to the debate about raising its wall.
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John Medcalf, chair of the Central NSW Joint Organisation, which represents a number of councils in the region, said he had mixed feelings about the dam, south-west of Bathurst, hitting capacity.
"On the one hand, it is a magnificent thing to see that amount of water flowing into the Lachlan Valley," he said.
"On the other, it is both a wasted opportunity and a potential flood risk.
"The two things we know about climate change is that it will get hotter and drier with massive storm events in between.
"This means we need to capture and sensibly manage as much water as we can."
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Cr Medcalf, who is mayor of Lachlan Shire Council, centred on Condobolin, said he was pleased "to see the State Government's election commitment to raising the wall at Wyangala Dam and both the Deputy Premier and Minister for Water reiterating this support" recently.
The Wyangala wall project was originally estimated to cost $650 million but might have a price tag of as much as $2.1 billion.
An increase in the capacity of Chifley Dam, meanwhile, was a policy platform at the last Bathurst Regional Council election and has featured again in the run-up to the 2021 election.
