The Bass Salinity Province forms the western end of the Bass Peninsula on the southeast coast of Westernport Bay. Over half of the Province (its south and central areas) is alluvial low coastal plains (Bass River flood plain), while most of the remainder is slightly undulating (Lang Lang Lowlands) to the north, with a small section in the southeast forming the northern slopes of the South Gippsland Highlands (Strzelecki Group).
Local to intermediate scale Groundwater Flow Systems (GFSs) occur in both the layered sedimentary rocks and the overlying sediments of the coastal plains. A little over 4% of the province has been mapped as saline (which is about twice the Statewide average per province) with ‘break-of-slope’ and low elevation coastal plains occurrences mapped. High watertables and salinity resulted from the clearing of deep-rooted vegetation from the hills and coastal plains, parts of which are not much higher than sea level.
Salinity management in the area has been somewhat haphazard, primarily consisting of the revegetation of the recharge and discharge areas with trees.
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