Drilling records exist for 26 historic water wells put down on Sturt Vale and Ford Lagoon Stations on the north-western margin of the Murray Basin. Only one well is still in use: the remainder have been abandoned because of high salinity or insufficient yield. Groundwater occurs in Quaternary and Proterozoic aquifers, but prospects of obtaining usable drinking supplies for stock are poor. Water of marginal quality for stock use may occur near the large watercourses, but the success rate of drilling would probably be less than 10%.