Sydney Water is planning to spend $32 billion on wastewater treatment infrastructure. There is a proven, cheaper alternative — one that provides cleaner water and much more of it, restores farmland and ecosystems, captures carbon, and saves the average Sydney ratepayer around $700 a year, forever.

Sign this petition to demand the NSW Government properly evaluates the Dam Plan before committing to the wastewater plant program.

Watch the 5-minute video at: https://www.youtube.com/@CoolTheCountry

What is the Dam Plan? In 2022, the Independent Council for Ecosystem Restoration (ICER) — a body of world-leading environmental scientists (working with local farmers) — submitted a formal proposal to the NSW and Federal Governments to regenerate more than 4,500 km² of farmland across the Warragamba catchment. 

Working with farmers to restore wetlands, rebuild soil carbon, and slow surface run-off, the Dam Plan captures vastly more rainwater across the entire catchment — not by raising the dam wall UP, but by expanding effective water storage SIDEWAYS, across the landscape.

Healthier soil holds more water. Restored wetlands filter it naturally. The rainwater that does reach Warragamba Dam arrives cleaner — no energy-intensive treatment required. And during heavy downpours (which are predicted to become more intense), restored wetlands and other proven systems will slow the run-off that could cause catastrophic flooding in Western Sydney.

Rainwater is the purest water there is. The Dam Plan harvests more of it, more efficiently, for a fraction of the cost of treating wastewater.

Sydney Water’s plan: wastewater treatment plants and related infrastructure

Estimated cost: $32 billion to build— plus energy costs to run the plants forever

Impact on bills: an average $700 per year, per household — permanently

The Dam Plan: catchment-wide regenerative farm management

Estimated cost: $500 million — a one-time investment in regenerative natural systems

Impact on bills: billions in avoided cost passed back to ratepayers. Powered by sunlight and gravity.

Sydney Water rates have already started rising — by around $100 per year, year on year. Our grandchildren will still be paying for those treatment plants in 50 years.

Why Haven’ t We Heard About This? The ICER proposal was submitted to government almost three years ago and passed along to Sydney Water for appraisal. It has been quietly ignored. Major construction companies and their lobbyists have significant financial interests in the wastewater plant program. The NSW Government has not yet made a final commitment — but the infrastructure program is already in motion, and the window to change course is closing.

Ratepayers have NOT been given a choice. This petition is about changing that.

This Is Bigger Than Sydney: The same principles that make the Dam Plan work for Warragamba apply to water catchments across Australia:

• East Coast flooding (Brisbane and beyond): restored catchment landscapes and wetlands slows run-off from extreme rain events, reducing flood peaks — WHILE SAVING MONEY

• Southern droughts (Melbourne and beyond): landscape rehydration increases available water and helps draw rain further inland — WHILE SAVING MONEY

• Rural communities: restored water and carbon cycles mean more reliable rainfall, healthier soil, and more productive farms — WHILE SAVING MONEY

The Dam Plan, if proven at Warragamba, can become the blueprint for catchment restoration anywhere in the country. It would be the largest ecosystem restoration and carbon capture project in Australian history.

The NSW Election is in March 2027. The NSW Government hasn’t committed to the wastewater plant program yet. There is still time to make this a political issue — but only if enough Australians ask for it, loudly, before March.

Sign this petition to demand a proper independent assessment of the Dam Plan before any commitment is made to the $32 billion wastewater program.

Then share it — with family, friends, and anyone in Australia who wants lower bills, cleaner water, and healthier farmland, forests and rivers.

Watch the 5-minute Dam Plan video: https://www.youtube.com/@CoolTheCountry

Read the full ICER proposal: coolthecountry.com