Salinity Province 121, Upper Moorabool

Thumbnail image showing the location of Upper Moorabool Salinity Province in Victoria Comprising the upper catchment and headwaters of the Moorabool river, the Upper Moorabool Salinity Province has a complex mix of local to intermediate scale Groundwater Flow Systems (GFSs) in deeply weathered, fractured Palaeozoic rocks (incl. granite), deep leads and fractured basalt plains.

Local scale GFSs are found in an overlying veneer of sedimentary gravel caps on bedrock hills in the southern half of the province. Mapped salinity occurrence covers only some 200 ha, mainly found in slight depressions in the basalt plains areas. While land salinity is of lower significance in this province, the Moorabool river is an important water supply catchment, so brackish groundwater discharging to streams is of concern.

Reducing groundwater recharge by revegetating with higher water use plants on recharge areas above known gravel cap stream seepage points is recommended. High watertable depressions and discharge areas should be protected from stock to minimise soil structure damage and erosion and planted with suitable waterlogging and salt tolerant plants. Some areas could be suitable for conversion to seasonal wetlands.

Province Attributes

Catchment Management Region:	CORANGAMITE
Priority Status:	High
Province Area:	114890 ha
Recorded Soil Salinity Area ¹:	206 ha
Dominant Surface Geology Type:	Sedimentary
Influence of Geological Structure on Salinity Occurrence/s:	Possible
Relevant Geomorphological Mapping Units (GMUs):	2.1.X
Predominant Groundwater Flow Systems (GFSs):	Local & Local/Intermediate
Relevant Irrigation Areas:	N/A

Upper Moorabool Salinity Province Map

A detailed map showing Upper Moorabool Salinity Province

Links to further reading and material related to the Corangamite Salinity Province

Groundwater Flow Systems (GFS) in the Corangamite CMR

For further information relating to groundwater levels and salinities in this Province please see: Visualising Victoria's Groundwater (VVG)

¹ Please Note: The ‘Recorded Soil Salinity Area’ indicated in the Salinity Province Attribute Table, comprises the total geographic area that has been mapped as having, or showing symptoms of, dryland soil salinity at some time (past or present). As dryland salinity occurrence in the Victorian landscape exhibits many different levels of severity and can change due to climate, landuse and vegetation, previously mapped areas may no longer be showing symptoms. In addition, as not all parts of the State have been mapped, or mapped in the same way, the mapping may not have captured some occurrences.

The soil salinity mapping used to calculate this ‘area’ does not cover irrigation regions. In irrigation regions, depth to watertable and watertable salinity mapping has been used to convey the threat of high watertables on soil waterlogging and/or soil salinisation and these areas are not included in this ‘area‘ calculation.

Please contact the Department, your Catchment Management Authority or your rural water provider for more information about salinity in your location.

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