Water Management

McLaren Vale is an industry leader in water conservation and re-use.

There are three main sources of water in McLaren Vale which are important to irrigated grape production.

Traditionally the main sources have been groundwater aquifers in the Willunga Basin and surface catchment dams, where water is collected and stored from natural run-off. Sprinkler or flood irrigation has not been used in McLaren Vale for over 25 years.

In recent years a third resource has been utilised in the area: treated reclaimed water which is piped into the region from the Christies Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant and Willunga Basin Water Company in the Aldinga area. The use of recycled water is very important to the sustainability of natural water resources as it takes significant pressure off the natural groundwater.