The East Dundas Tablelands is a large Salinity Province of about 200,000 ha with nearly 5000 ha of mapped dryland salinity occurrence, primarily found along drainage lines, ‘break-of-slope’ and hillside seepage areas, depending upon the Groundwater Flow System (GFS) responsible. The main GFS is deeply weathered and very old volcanic ‘ignimbrite’ bedrock of intermediate scale, with the overlying weathered regolith layers forming local GFSs containing groundwater with salinity ranging from 5000 mg/l to 15,000 mg/l. Groundwater levels undoubtedly increased following landscape clearance but showed a general decline during the drought years.
Recent farm forestry expansion into some areas may have been beneficial in reducing recharge and the extent of some saline discharge areas. Planting of salt and waterlogging tolerant pastures is recommended for discharge areas along with careful management of stocking to protect the often sodic soils from erosion.
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