Salinity Province 58, Lake Wellington

Thumbnail image showing the location of the Lake Wellington Salinity Province in Victoria The large Lake Wellington Salinity Province has significant areas of high watertables and salinity associated with the low elevation land adjoining the lake and the coastal fringe. An underlying regional scale Groundwater Flow System (GFS) probably plays little part in salinisation processes, with the overlying local to intermediate scale GFSs of the top-most alluvial deposits providing hydraulic connection between the lake and coastal groundwater systems and the adjoining land.

Recharge - discharge processes in combination with land-use choices have influenced local salinity outcomes, particularly where the natural vegetation has been cleared. The indigenous vegetation cover was adapted to the prevailing groundwater conditions, but replacement with pasture species resulted in land and soil degradation due to the combination of low elevation land, brackish groundwater and a high watertable.

Suggested management actions include improving irrigation efficiency in the adjoining Macalister province, increasing perennial pasture use in grazing farms and treating salinised areas with fencing and salt tolerant vegetation. Severely degraded areas should be returned to tidal wetlands and revegetated.

Province Attributes

Catchment Management Region:	WEST GIPPSLAND
Priority Status:	High
Province Area:	101,830 ha
Recorded Soil Salinity Area ¹:	12,356 ha
Dominant Surface Geology Type:	Sedimentary
Influence of Geological Structure on Salinity Occurrence/s:	Definite
Relevant Geomorphological Mapping Units (GMUs):	7.X, 8.X
Predominant Groundwater Flow Systems (GFSs):	Regional & Local/Intermediate
Relevant Irrigation Areas:	Macalister

Lake Wellington Salinity Province Map

A detailed map showing the Lake Wellington Salinity Province

Links to further reading and material related to the West Gippsland Salinity Province
Groundwater Flow Systems (GFS) in the West Gippsland CMR

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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