Literature review and scoping study of the potential downstream impacts of the proposed Nathan Dam on the Dawson River, Fitzroy River and offshore environments

• Main Authors: Burrows, Damien W., Butler, Barry
• Format: Report
• Language: unknown
• Published: James Cook University 1998
• Subjects: Dawson River; Fitzroy; Mackenzie River; Weir; Mackenzie river
• Online Access: https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/36641/1/Literature%20review%20and%20scoping%20study%20of%20the%20potential%20downstream%20impacts.pdf

It is proposed to construct a large dam on the Dawson River and to develop 30,000ha of irrigation, mostly cotton and mostly along the margins of the river channel. The Dawson is a heavily regulated river and over two-thirds of the river's length below the dam site is already inundated by weir pools. The IAS for this proposal largely focuses on the impacts of the impoundment and some aspects of the river channel down to the Dawson/Mackenzie River junction. There is only minor discussion of the impacts of the irrigation area and no assessment of the impacts on downstream environments below the Dawson/Mackenzie River junction. For all dam and irrigation developments, the issues associated with the irrigation area and the downstream environments warrant as much attention as does the impoundment area itself. This report reviews the issues that have been neglected or improperly covered in the decision-making process thus far.