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Salinity Province 130, West Goulburn Plains

Thumbnail image showing the location of the West Goulburn Plains Salinity Province in VictoriaSalinity in the West Goulburn Plains Salinity Province is primarily associated with the irrigation development on the Goulburn River floodplain between the bedrock hills in the south and the Murray River in the north.

Local and regional scale Groundwater Flow Systems comprised of alluvial plains unconsolidated sediments underlie this large province of over 180,000 ha. Irrigation water for the province is sourced from the Goulburn River via an extensive channel network from Waranga Basin. A high watertable resulted from greatly increased recharge to the groundwater system following irrigation development, poor surface drainage and the wetter climate phase from the 1950s to 1990s, causing soil waterlogging and salinity. Depth to watertable maps from the 1980’s can be found on the Goulburn-Broken CMA website (external link). These show the dynamic nature of the high watertable that peaked in 1995, then declined and contracted during the 1999 - 2009 drought decade.

Salinity and high watertables are managed through an integrated program that improved irrigation water use efficiency; built a surface drainage network; installed groundwater pumps to manage high watertables and supported environmental protection works and incentives.



Province Attributes

Catchment Management Region:GOULBURN BROKEN
Priority Status:High
Province Area:182,430 ha
Recorded Soil Salinity Area 1:0 ha
Dominant Surface Geology Type:Sedimentary
Influence of Geological Structure on Salinity Occurrence/s:Probable
Relevant Geomorphological Mapping Units (GMUs):4.2.1, 4.X
Predominant Groundwater Flow Systems (GFSs):Local & Regional
Relevant Irrigation Areas:Central Goulburn, Rochester


West Goulburn Plains Salinity Province Map

A detailed map showing the Warrenbayne Boho Salinity Province

Links to further reading and material related to the Goulburn Broken 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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