Premium Content Subscriber only There's more than one reason the debate over the Dunoon dam and future water resources runs deep. It's why the dam gets ping ponged between councils across the Northern Rivers and back to Rous County Council for another look. Everyone knows there is going to be winners and losers if a dam is chosen over aquifers and vice versa. Maybe neither of them is the right option. It's also looking like a turf war between Lismore and Ballina over which town is top dog in the region. Dunoon is in Lismore's patch and aquifers on the Alstonville plateau largely bring the heat on Ballina Shire Council.