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Salinity Province 24, Dimboola

Thumbnail image showing the location of the Dimboola Salinity Province in VictoriaThe Dimboola Salinity Province mainly contains the lakes and flood plain drainage patterns of the lower reaches of the Wimmera River. The major landuse is broadacre cropping interspersed with sheep grazing.

The province is impacted by both soil and water salinity with just over 4% of the province mapped as saline, which is significantly above the statewide (per province) average. The large terminal lakes of Hindmarsh, Victoria’s largest freshwater lake and RAMSAR listed Lake Albacutya are impacted by the high salinity levels in the lower Wimmera River system. Saline groundwater infiltration from a regional Groundwater Flow System (GFS) poses the biggest risk factor to the health of the river system, while discharge from the local to intermediate scale GFSs in the overlying aeolian and alluvial sediments may also contribute to soil salinity in the province.

Suggested management actions include protection of wetland fringes and low lying seasonally wet or saline areas from grazing and cropping, allowing salt tolerant revegetation. Best practices on cropping and grazing areas should aim to maximise plant water use and add perennial re-vegetation, such as alley farming, where possible.



Province Attributes

Catchment Management Region:WIMMERA
Priority Status:High
Province Area:135,310 ha
Recorded Soil Salinity Area 1:5,631 ha
Dominant Surface Geology Type:Sedimentary
Influence of Geological Structure on Salinity Occurrence/s:None
Relevant Geomorphological Mapping Units (GMUs):5.1.X, 4.X
Predominant Groundwater Flow Systems (GFSs):Regional & Local/Intermediate
Relevant Irrigation Areas:N/A


Dimboola Salinity Province Map

A detailed map showing the Dimboola Salinity Province

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