The Kamarooka Salinity Province is a moderate sized province centred about 40 kilometers north of Bendigo.
Intermediate scale Groundwater Flow Systems (GFSs) occur in deeply weathered Palaeozoic metasedimentary rocks; while a regional scale GFS underlies the flatter alluvial plains. A large area of dryland salinity developed adjacent to a crescent shaped ridge of the highly weathered metasediments. Smaller areas of salinity also occur on the poorly drained alluvial plains.
Extensive tree planting adjacent to the major discharge area (including an approx. 50 ha plantation) and the smaller sites have been attributed to the renovation of these saline areas. Monitoring an extensive bore network has provided data on groundwater behaviour since the 1980s; this groundwater continues to be monitored on a seasonal basis. The decade long (~1999 - 2009) drought and tree planting caused a decline in the groundwater to pre-monitoring levels. Other salinity mitigation work has included; increased areas of perennials, and in the irrigated areas, improved drainage and increased water use efficiencies. |