Primary producers in the Clare Valley who rely on water for their operations are being encouraged to have their say on future water use in the region.
The Working together for water sustainability forum will be held at The Valleys Lifestyle Centre in Clare on September 8.
Hosted by the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board, the forum is designed to help business owners, landholders and the community gain a better understanding of the latest water trends and what these mean for future water demands.
The forum will give those in the wine sector their first opportunity to reflect on the 2019 industry review of the Clare Valley Water Allocation Plan, which outlines access to ground, surface and imported water.
Edge Environment's Andy Chambers will present the findings and explain how growers can participate in water security and allocation planning locally.
Clare Valley Wine & Grape Association executive officer Anna Baum urged grapegrowers and winemakers to join the conversation about a critical resource for the wine industry.
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"This is the first time grapegrowers will be presented with the review's results," she said.
"It's also a perfect opportunity to shape how the plan's next iteration affects them as water users."
Other presenters at the forum include a hydrologist and hydrogeologist from the Department for Environment and Water, who will share 50-year data trends and outline how the community can access this monitoring information.
Free irrigation bore salinity testing is also on offer, with landholders encouraged to bring along a bore sample in a clean 500-millilitre plastic bottle, together with their bore number.
"This event is a great opportunity for locals to hear how the Clare Valley's groundwater resources are holding up and what the water level and salinity monitoring trends are telling us," DEW's principal hydrogeologist Steve Barnett said.
The Northern and Yorke Landscape Board will also use the forum to launch a community citizen science project, where locals can help collect data from pools and watercourses in the Clare Valley and take an active role in caring for the health and condition of the region's natural water environments.
- Details: Register at watersustainability.eventbrite.com.au. For more information, contact Jennifer Munro on 8841 3444 or email ny.landscapeboard@sa.gov.au.
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