What causes salinity? Salinity is caused by too much salt in our soil and water. There are three main sources of salts in our soils:

1. salt is released into the soil as rocks break down into smaller pieces;

2 . salt from the sea is carried inland by the wind, falling in rain and builds up in the soil over millions of years;

3. many areas were once covered by an inland sea which left a layer of salt behind.

Australia's settlers tried to make a living off the land the only way they knew - by clearing trees and scrub, and farming the way they used to in Europe, with annual crops and pas_tures. They introduced irrigation in the 1860s to increase water for crops and animals.

The combination of irrigation and clearing deep-rooted trees, such as native gum trees, has caused more water to soak through the soil and become part of the groundwater.

Groundwater is the name given to all water found beneath the earth's surface. As more and more water is added to the groundwater, it starts to rise closer to the surface. Salt dissolves into the rising groundwater. As it gets near the surface it becomes more concentrated and can be salty enough to harm plants. Usually, when salty groundwater gets within two metres of the surface it can cause a salinity problem.

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The effects of salinity 1. Physical As the groundwater rises it dissolves natural salts, bringing salty water to the roots of plants. Trees, grass and crops begin to die and farm land becomes less productive.

In some areas the underground water seeps out at the surface, causing springs and soaks. As the water evaporates, salt is left on the surface of the soil. The natural vegetation dies. Only salt-tolerant plants - like 'spiny rush' - surv1_ve. These are of little value to stock.

Salt can also affect the quality of drinking water. During the summer some dams in western Victoria cannot even be used for stock as they are too salty. In northern and western Victoria, household equipment has been damaged by salty water supplies, and road foundations are weakened.

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2. Economic Salinity costs Victoria over $50 million a year. Much of this loss is in farm production. Crops yield less and some farming land cannot be used at all.

High groundwater levels continue to rise affecting much of Victoria's prime irrigation land as well as dryland farming districts. The severity varies from land totally unusable because of salinity to slight losses in production.

Loss of income borne by farmers amounts to $32 million each year in irrigation areas and $4 million in dryland areas. This could treble within the next 30 years without further control.

Salt-affected grape vines.

3. Environmental Salinity also affects rivers and wetlands­resources highly prized by the community in general, tourists, scientists and nature lovers.

High groundwater, causing a salinity problem in the land, will naturally seep into rivers and wetlands resulting in an increased water salinity which may affect fish, water plants and wildlife. Disposal of saline drainage water may be detrimental to the ecology of those rivers

Erosion is often a consequence of over-clearing and salinity.

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and wetlands. Therefore, any salinity management proposal must take into account the effects on the whole environment.

In some cases it may be difficult to prevent the process of salinity affecting rivers and wetlands. However, we can seek to prevent salinity control measures from further diminishing our valuable wetlands.

Salt-affected areas are also more open to the hazards of erosion.

An abandoned farmhouse in an area badly affected by salinity.

4. Social Rural communities suffer because of salinity. Some farmers may have to leave their farms , small town shops close and communities disintegrate. Many country people have to move to cities in search of work. Salinity may be the fmal straw on top of the decline of export markets , poor seasons and high interest rates .

Tackling salinity Salinity can be controlled but many of the solutions are long-term and are not just the responsibility of landholders. Whether it's irrigation or dryland salinity, the amount of water entering the underground system must be reduced.

In irrigation districts options are:

• laser-grading, which levels paddocks so that water flows off them more readily and only the optimum amount of water is used ;

• improving drainage so that excess water doesn't soak into the ground;

• sealing irrigation channels to reduce leakage and wastage;

• better water management;

• using salt-tolerant trees or pasture species on salt-affected land;

• pumping and reuse of groundwater.

In dryland areas options are:

• revegetating areas where water gets into the ground easily, especially with trees or deep-rooted pasture species, such·as lucerne;

• using salt-tolerant trees or pasture species on salt-affected land;

• adopting management practices, such as whole farm planning, which help address salinity by looking at the whole issue of land degradation.

Most of the above are on-farm options. On a public scale, co-operation between landholders, communities and the government is needed to combat salinity.

Phalaris - a high water using pasture species.

Efficient irrigation practices, such as properly spaced and graded bays, help reduce excess recharge.

Pumping groundwater can provide irrigation water and help lower the water table.

Options include:

• regional drainage programs;

• regional groundwater pumping schemes;

• disposal of salt from the region;

• public awareness of salinity, through community participation and education.

Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council Following an historic agreement between the Victorian, New South Wales, South Australian and Commonwealth Governments, the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council was formed to manage this major agricultural, environmental and tourist resource. The Basin supports a quarter of the nation's cattle, almost half the sheep and lambs, a quarter of the dairy farms, half the cropland and almost three-quarters of Australia's irrigated land.

The Murray-Darling Basin Commission, which came into operation on 1 January 1988, will advise the Ministerial Council on land, water and environmental matters. Salinity is a major threat in the Basin. The Ministerial Council has given high priority to the development of an interstate Murray-Darling Basin Salinity and Drainage Strategy.

Working together Victoria has a strategy for salinity control called SALT ACTION: JOINT ACTION, which builds on individual and local group efforts. Success in controlling the problem will depend on joint action and long-term planning by both the Government and the community.

Salt Action: Joint Action mee~ a key aim in the State Conservation Strategy to restore the land.

It includes eight action programs to form the backbone of future salinity control.

Regional planning and co-ordination • Plans to tackle salinity are being

prepared so that local action is co­ordinated with regional, state-wide and interstate work.

Plant species are tested for salt tolerance first in the greenhouse (above) and then in field trials (below) .

The future of the River Murray will depend on co-operation between Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia to control the amount of salt entering the river.

Education about salinity and its effects on the environment is important - in the field (above.) and in schools (below) .

Farm improvement and assistance • Work by farmers is supported by

advice, farm demonstration sites and grants and incentives to assist salinity control.

Girl guides planting eucalypts on recharge areas.

Revegetation • Deep-rooted plants and trees are being

planted in the most advantageous areas to overcome the effects of clearing.

• Alternative crops and pastures are being trialled .

Improved water use • Improved irrigation practices.

Drainage and salt disposal • Continuation of schemes to drain salty

areas and current work to develop a River Murray Salinity and Drainage Strategy through the new Murray­Darling Basin Ministerial Council.

Environment improvement and protection • Ensure other environments, such as

wetlands, are not ruined during salinty control. Rehabilitate salt-damaged environments and develop guidelines for further protection.

Education and participation • Raise awareness about salinity to

encourage maximum participation. Local awareness activities, funded by the Community Grants Scheme, school courses, appointment of salinity education and liaison officers and Salt Force News all contribute to this process.

Research and investigation • Continue emphasis on research to

ensure we know as much as possible about the technical , environmental , social and economic aspects of salinity control.

What has been done so far? There are hundreds of salinity control projects operating throughout the State, for example:

• The Goulburn!Broken Regional Salinity Pilot Program is helping to determine and demonstrate the most effective procedures by which a fully integrated salinity control program can be established for a region .

• The Geography Teacher's Association of Victoria has completed a slide kit for use in secondary schools.

• Many farmers are changing their management practices to combat salinity and improve profitability. For example, at Bears Lagoon, in north central Victoria , farmer Bill Twigg has dramatically increased farm profitability on his sheep property by using lucerne, which uses water all year round. He is now trialling salt bush and relates his experiences to groups of students and interested farmers who visit his property.

• The Girgarre Salinity Control Project, consisting of a 30 ha evaporation basin and groundwater pumps, will provide relief to farmers affected by salinity.

• In 13 areas of the State, during 1987 and 1988, rural schools joined forces in a program called SaltWatch. Students collected water samples from local creeks, rivers , streams, irrigation channels and bores. By checking the salt content of the water, students have come to a greater understanding of State and local salinity problems.

Recognising salinity is the first step towards tackling the problem. Note the spiny rush (a salt indicator plant) in the foreground of this discharge area .

• The Girl Guides Association of Victoria has, in 1988, joined forces with the Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands to plant trees on prime recharge areas so that rainfall is used by the trees instead of soaking through into groundwater and raising salts. A target of 30 trees per Guide for each of the State's 30,000 Guides has been set for 'Greening Victoria'.

• The Municipal Association of Victoria has appointed a salinity committee which actively promotes ways in which rural shires can combat salinity which breaks up rural roads and erodes rate revenue.

• The Murray Valley League, which represents municipalities along the Murray River keeps the public and its members aware of the salt problem through publications and seminars.

• The Land Protection Incentives Scheme and the Salinity Control and Water Management Loans Scheme have been expanded.

• The Irrigator Grants Scheme has been established to assist whole-farm planning, groundwater drilling and community drainage projects.

• Trials of alternative deep-rooted crops and pastures, and of agro-forestry, have been established.

Tagasaste trial on a recharge area which contributes to a local dryland salting problem.

• The Government has agreed that Victoria will contribute with NSW, South Australia and the Federal Government to upgrading the Mildura/Merbein/Buronga salt interception works, the construction of the Woolpunda salt interception scheme, and the detailed design of the Mallee Cliffs scheme, all of which will improve the salinity of the River Murray.[>

• LandCare Projects (in conjunction with the Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands and the Victorian Farmers' Federation) encourage good land management, including salinity control, and increase land productivity.

• Backpack Community Theatre Group toured a play about salinity aimed at upper primary and lower secondary students.

• At the Tatura Institute for Irrigation and Salinity Research, staff are researching the growth of plants in saline conditions.

• The Barr Creek Catchment Project is the first of the sub-regional salinity management plans that will provide a basis for joint government and community action on salinity.

Grants and incentives These are available to individuals or community groups, depending on the type of grant.

• Community Salinity Grants - for salinity control projects or education and awareness programs. (Contact the Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands.)

• Whole Farm Plan Incentive Scheme -a blueprint for future farm development. It includes the physical layout, agronomic planning and fmancial management. (Contact the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.)

• Exploratory Drilling Service -designed to eliminate the risk of drilling for a usable aquifer. (Contact the Rural Water Commission.)

• Water Management and Farm Development Loans. (Contact the Rural Finance Commission.)

• Land Protection Incentive Scheme -provides incentive grants for tackling a range of land protection problems like salinity, erosion, tree decline, pest plants and pest animals. (Contact the Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands.)

• LandCare Scheme - provides incentives to groups of landholders to tackle salinity and other land degradation issues. (Contact the Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands.)

• Community Drainage Scheme Grants. (Contact the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.)

Back cover: Sheep grazing on a salt-affected paddock planted with the salt-tolerant tall wheat grass.

Community groups will play an important part in salinity control.

More information For more information about salinity and ways in which you can help contact one of the following :

Salinity Bureau 176 Wellington Parade East Melbourne 3002 Tel: (03) 417 7317

Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands Salinity Unit 4/250 Victoria Parade East Melbourne 3002 Tel : (03) 412 4144

Bill O'Kane Community Education Officer (Salinity) Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs PO Box 1752 Shepparton 3630 Tel: (058) 21 4788

Malcolm Brown Community Education Officer (Salinity) Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs PO Box460 Irymple 3498 Tel : (050) 24 5603

or Regional Offices of the Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the Rural Water Commission.

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