Winewatch is an informal partnership between Curtin University of Technology, the Margaret River Wine Industry Association, the Cape to Cape Catchments Group and GeoCatch with the Shires of Busselton and Augusta-Margaret River. The partnership was formed to enable information transfer and the collective development and implementation of projects spanning across production and environmental issues for the wine industry in the south west of Australia.
In 2006 the partnership undertook a survey of winery wastewater management practices of small wineries in the Margaret River wine appellation. These are wineries that produce less than 350 kL of wine and are not licensed through Department of Environment and Conservation under the Environmental Protection Act Regulations 1987 (Part 5, schedule 1 - prescribed premises categories) yet form a significant proportion of the industry.
Information gained through the survey lead to the development of the current Winewatch project: Improved industry capacity for winery wastewater treatment, disposal and monitoring in small wineries.
The project is funded through a National Landcare Programme grant.