THE long-awaited Chaffey Dam upgrade was officially opened on Friday to much fanfare, but it created some waves when Tamworth Regional councillors were left off the guest list, despite council forking out more than $4 million for the upgrade.
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While Tamworth Regional Council mayor Col Murray attended the opening, deputy mayor Russell Webb said his fellow councillors were upset they were not invited to, or even notified about, the event.
The $46 million project, which was jointly funded by the three tiers of government, increased the dam’s capacity from 62 gigalitres to 100GL and ensures it meets the necessary safety standards for extreme floods.
After last weekend’s downpour, Chaffey Dam is sitting at 36 per cent capacity.
Deputy Prime Minister and New England MP, Barnaby Joyce, said the upgrade was a sign of things to come for the region.
“This is not just a great day for Tamworth, the Peel Valley and the New England – it’s a great day for the nation,” the New England MP said.
“Water is wealth and the storage of water is a bank.”
He paid tribute to previous supporters of the project, such as former New England MP Tony Windsor, but said he had to put his “shoulder to the wheel” to get the upgrade “up and running”.
“When I came home to the New England, this dam was underfunded, unapproved and unbuilt – it is now officially opened in my first term,” Mr Joyce said.
Mr Windsor was at the event and said the opening was the culmination of many years of hard work, by many people who remained focused on the outcome.
“It should not be quarantined by those who seek to gain political mileage when they have not been working with the community doing the hard yards,” Mr Windsor said.
NSW Water and Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair said the “vital piece of infrastructure” would underpin the growth and development of Tamworth, and the region’s primary producers.
“What we’re seeing here is not only about regional development, but about the potential our primary producers will have through this water security,” Mr Niall said.
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said the dam upgrade was the type of infrastructure regional NSW, and particularly its irrigators, needed to see more of.
“Much more work needs to be done about how we support our irrigators and how we make the most of this dam once it finally gets some water in it,” he said.
Cr Murray said the “seamless” project was a “key investment” for the region.
“As a mayor of a local community, this is about as good as it gets, to see this sort of support coming from both the federal and state government,” he said.
