Warwick Wine Estate’s wastewater reuse project provides financial and sustainability benefits

Warwick Wine Estate installed a 23 kl/d MBR wastewater treatment plant to replace an ineffective system and reduce the costs of sewage removal. The project provides a sustainable irrigation source of 10 kl/d, reducing reliance on rain and groundwater. With a capital cost of R 1,100,000 and a payback period of 2.9 years, the estate expects monthly savings of R 31,350 after the payback period.

• Warwick Wine Estate installed a 23 kl/d wastewater treatment plant using membrane biological reactor (MBR) technology, which combines biological treatment with microfiltration or ultrafiltration. The system treats domestic sewage from staff housing and the wine tasting cellar, producing an average of 10 kl/d of effluent used for garden irrigation, thereby reducing the estate's dependence on groundwater and rain.
• The project was driven by the need to address an ineffective existing plant and the high cost and logistical burden of frequent sewage removal, which averaged R 40,000 per month. The new plant also addresses odour issues for customers and provides water resilience against future droughts that could otherwise risk harvest quality and sales revenue.
• The financial investment for the new plant was R 1,100,000 (excluding VAT). With monthly operation and maintenance costs of R 7,000 and electricity costs of R 1,650, the project has an estimated payback period of 2.9 years, after which the estate anticipates monthly savings of at least R 31,350.
• The estate plans to expand the treatment plant's capacity in 2022 to include the treatment of winery wastewater.

APA

Botha, R. (2021). Warwick Wine Estate’s wastewater reuse project provides financial and sustainability benefits. GreenCape. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/WARWICK_WINES_CASE_STUDY_7_1_22-3.pdf

Chicago

Botha, Rudi. Warwick Wine Estate’s wastewater reuse project provides financial and sustainability benefits. GreenCape, 2021. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/WARWICK_WINES_CASE_STUDY_7_1_22-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Botha |first1=Rudi |title=Warwick Wine Estate’s wastewater reuse project provides financial and sustainability benefits |publisher=GreenCape |date=2021 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/WARWICK_WINES_CASE_STUDY_7_1_22-3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{botha2021warwick, author = {Botha, Rudi}, title = {{Warwick Wine Estate’s wastewater reuse project provides financial and sustainability benefits}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2021}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/WARWICK_WINES_CASE_STUDY_7_1_22-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }