Seeds collected to restore native vegetation at Chaffey Dam

WaterNSW has engaged Tamworth Local Aboriginal Land Council’s (TLALC) Walaaybaa Rangers to undertake the site preparations, planting and growing of the seeds.

Planting will begin in autumn after seed propagation and site preparations early next year in a 100-hectare area downstream of the dam wall.

It’s part of a package of works to offset the loss of existing vegetation, threatened species and habitats when Chaffey Dam wall was raised by 8 metres in 2016, increasing storage capacity from 62,000 to 100,500 megalitres, and inundating an extra 161 hectares of land.

“Last year we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the TLALC to provide traditional custodians with access to land at Chaffey Dam for cultural practice and connection,” said Michelle Yeaman, WaterNSW’s General Manager Regional Operations North.

“Next year we are delighted TLALC’s Walaayba Rangers will continue that partnership by helping WaterNSW restore native vegetation in one of the biodiversity offset areas where natural regeneration is unlikely to occur due to the lack of a viable soil seed bank.”

Michelle said the revegetation work is being guided by a restoration plan prepared following a 5-year monitoring program that identified where extra assistance is required.

The assisted revegetation is part of a number of ongoing management activities WaterNSW is undertaking across the 1000-hectare biodiversity offset area at Chaffey Dam, including weed and pest animal control, bushfire hazard reduction, and ecological burns.

The biodiversity offset area includes a 100-hectare site in the east below the dam wall, and a 900-hectare site on the north-western shore. The north-western portion is also the area governed by the MoU between Tamworth LALC and WaterNSW signed in June 2023.

The biodiversity offset area has been established in accordance with the requirements of the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, and Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water.

“With the wall raising and dam safety works on Chaffey Dam completed, it’s vital to recognise and compensate for the activities we undertook which led to losses for the biodiversity and communities connected to this site,” Michelle said.