The delayed settlement by European immigrants despite favorable conditions for agriculture is due to the unfavorable geographical location.

[2] The Hex River Valley has 5,200 acres of irrigated agricultural land, about 86 percent of which is used for growing lemons.

In 1944, after construction work, the road from Worcester to Paarl and Cape Town could be driven over the Du Toitskloof Pass.

[2] The construction of the railway line to Kimberley provided the impetus for irrigation farming in the Hex River Valley.

Their construction has led to the penetration of foreign invasive vegetation and to erosion phenomena in the area of the river banks.

Their storage capacity leads to very low water levels in the summer until the lower reaches dry up.