Clare Valley water security
The Clare Valley is approximately 150 kilometres north of Adelaide. There are approximately 60 wineries and 5000 hectares of winegrapes grown in the region. Current water use from all water sources is around 4 gigalitres (GL) per year. The Clare Valley is experiencing water security challenges related to water availability and affordability.
A preliminary business case, funded by the Australian Government through the National Water Grid Fund, investigated water supply and delivery options for bringing an additional 3 GL of water to the Clare Valley. Water sources considered included River Murray water and recycled water from Adelaide (Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant). The preliminary business case was completed in January 2023.
The preliminary business case found the leading options for bringing an additional 3 GL of water to the valley was to source additional water from the River Murray via the Morgan-Whyalla pipeline and develop storages (turkey nest dams or Bundaleer Reservoir) to store water until needed. The Preliminary Business Case identified affordability challenges in relation to a recycled water solution, with the report concluding investigations into the viability of a recycled water supply for Clare Valley should be paused until investigations into a recycled water supply for the Barossa Valley had concluded. The preliminary business case acknowledged there is high community interest in a recycled water solution.
Investigations into the feasibility of a recycled water solution for the Barossa Valley are now complete. At the present time it is not commercially viable to supply recycled water from the Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant to the Barossa. The Barossa findings make it clear that at the present time bringing recycled water from the Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant further north to the Clare Valley is currently not viable.
Work continues on the evaluation of non-infrastructure, lower-cost solutions to meet near-term demand for water in Clare. A government-industry working group has been established to progress investigations. The working group includes representatives from the Department for Environment and Water, the Clare Valley Grape and Wine Association, SA Water and Regional Development Australia Yorke and Mid North. The group is currently assessing whether optimisation of the existing Clare Valley Water Supply Scheme is an economically viable solution for meeting the short to medium term water needs of Clare Valley.
Read the Clare Valley Water Supply Preliminary Business Case.
The preparation of the preliminary business case was funded by the Australian Government ($800,000) through the National Water Grid Fund.
More information
Preliminary Business Case: Clare Valley Water Supply
Clare Valley Water Allocation Plan
Barossa Water Security Strategy
