Mr Robson and managing director Kevin Young met with a number of business people, mayor Glenn Wall and council’s general manager in Dungog last Thursday morning.

“I met with (water minister) Phillip Costa early last week and he said he was as anxious as I am to get a decision,” Mr Robson said.

“We are just waiting on one independent study to get back to us for comment and then hopefully we will have a decision in September.

“There has been an enormous amount of work done over the past four years and it is frustrating for staff and everyone that we can’t get a final decision one way or the other.

“I believe we have satisfied all requirements.”

Mr Robson believes if Tillegra does go ahead, it will bring a great boost to the region, a lot of wealth.

“At the end of the day the decision will be made above us,” he said.

“All we can do is provide all the information for them to decide.”

Kevin Young said the water utility was at “arms length” in the decision making.

“And that is how is has to be,” he said.

“Planning NSW has to make an independent decision – they are working through the submissions.”

Hunter Water formally lodged a report with the NSW Department of Planning on March 3 this year following its comprehensive review of submissions on the Environmental Assessment Report for Tillegra Dam.

While the NSW government is looking at a range of state environmental concerns, the only matter of national environmental significance being assessed by the federal government is the dam's impact on the Hunter Estuary Ramsar wetland.

Under national environment law, the federal government must assess any project that may have an impact on a federally protected matter.

In 2008, the federal government decided that the Tillegra Dam proposal needed to be assessed due to possible impacts on the Ramsar listed Hunter Estuary wetlands, which are listed under national environment law.

If the NSW Department of Planning approves the dam the project will then go to the federal government for assessment.