Does Warragamba Dam wall need to be raised for safety reasons?

A leaked report to The Guardian Australia on May 16 sent alarm bells through Wilderness Australia and traditional owners.

Ministers have been briefed on the need for possible repairs according to NSW Premier Chris Minns.

"There are geotechnical risks associated with the dam wall which means that Water NSW and the Board of Water NSW may have to take action in relation to remediating the structure from an engineering point of view," Mr Minns said.

"I've had briefings from engineers at Water NSW about the next steps and we'll have more to say in coming days."

Labor went to the March state election promising to abandon the dam wall raising - saving about $3 billion dollars.

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The Liberal-National coalition proposed raising the dam wall by 14 metres, saying it could prevent 10,000 homes in western Sydney from inundation during a record flood and stop 70,000 needing to be evacuated.

Conservationists have said raising the dam wall has been the biggest threat to the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage area since its inscription 23 years ago.

Wilderness Australia is threatening legal action if needed to cancel the dam raising project altogether.

Chair of Wilderness Australia, former Blue Mountains MP Bob Debus said "it looks like the same old dam-addicted bureaucrats are up to the same old tricks".

"Let's remain deeply sceptical of Water NSW and wait for further and better particulars.

"We should never forget that Water NSW responds to every Warragamba issue you can think of by saying 'raise the wall'.

"We don't know yet if there are genuine safety issues being spoken of here.

"And if it turns out that there is an issue of real concern then we will want to know the range of possible solutions."

Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle said she stands by her "long-held position, opposing the dam wall raising".

"The [Water] Minister [Rose Jackson] is still receiving briefings and when there is more to say she will.

"I look forward to a conversation with the Minister and Premier shortly."

Gundungurra traditional owner Kazan Brown said she is concerned and disappointed no-one from the new state government has made attempts to get in contact.

She has contacted several ministers in the new government since March asking to meet about protecting the dam from future threats.

Ms Brown has campaigned for about seven years against the Dam wall raising project on behalf of the Gundungurra people of the southern Blue Mountains.

She said "never once has anyone mentioned dam safety".

"I'm disappointed we've had no contact with the government since the election. I don't really know what's going on, we do have a lot of concerns."

Harry Burkitt, one of the campaigners who led opposition to the dam-wall raising through the Give a Dam project, has told media "throughout the 10 years of this proposal, dam safety was never cited as justification for raising or altering the wall, as the safety of the dam was guaranteed in 2000 by the Carr Labor government's $200m investment in an auxiliary spillway".