The Kowmung is one of the wild rivers that thread through the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area — a landscape of deep gorges, sandstone cliffs and temperate forest recognised for its outstanding natural values. These rivers support rich ecosystems and are part of what makes the Blue Mountains internationally significant.
Proposals to raise the Warragamba Dam wall have drawn sustained concern from environment groups because higher flood storage could inundate stretches of wilderness rivers and valleys upstream, including areas within the World Heritage property. Campaigners have argued this would damage wild river country, Aboriginal cultural heritage and the integrity of the listed landscape.
Through Don’t Bag The Environment, the Foundation supported a coalition led by the Colong Foundation for Wilderness and allied groups, including corporate and political outreach alongside grassroots advocacy, to oppose raising the dam and protect rivers like the Kowmung. The aim was to keep international‑standard wilderness and World Heritage values at the centre of the public debate.