SaltCap and SaltDecide (FP22)

Built on research completed by the former CRC Salinity, the SaltCap and SaltDecide project is developing decision support tools for landholders wanting to establish best salinity management practices. To achieve this goal, the project is assessing the degree to which the introduction of plant-based and partner-preferred saltland management systems are impacting on the environmental condition of specific catchments to predict and better manage salinity at the catchment scale.

The project is spilt up into three distinct components:

1. Development of SaltCap-2 - a system for diagnosing the most appropriate options for saltland
2. Baseline analysis of the impact of saltland systems on the water and salt balance of saline land and streams through continuing experiments at the Yealering (WA) and Gumble (NSW)
3. Modelling the effectiveness of FFI CRC saltland technologies at the catchment scale.

Objectives:

• Produce a decision support system to enables landholders to select and establish appropriate saline management systems
• Establish if saltland revegetation can reduce downstream impacts of salinity and determine the benefits for NRM and water resource managers
• Develop a model (or set of models) to assess in advance plant-based and drainage systems impacts on saline catchments.

Activities

SaltCap-2 communication with hydrologists and farmers to locate ‘proof’ sites and site visits to determine suitable monitoring sites has occurred. Training courses with key next users were also undertaken with EverTrain.

The SaltDecide Yealering research site was completely refurbished in 2009 with new instrumentation to enable more accurate measurement of the water and salt balance. After partial loss of data in 2008, dataloggers were replaced and new weirs installed. While flow has been limited due to lower rainfall, the data shows the treatment (25 ha saltland pastures) has made substantial reduction to both flow and load. The reduction in salt load has been of the order of 80%. The driver for change remains the drier soils resulting from saltland pasture, with the control site remaining poorly covered in low quality barley grass.

In early 2009, FFI CRC and the Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) were invited to provide research leadership to look at the role of oil mallee as a means of saltland management and risk containment. A partner R&D site was established 5 km from Yealering where more than 500 ha of oil mallees alleys had been established. Ground geophysics and instrumentation (loggers established in bores) was set up to look at the impact of watertables and salt accumulation (on yield). Initial results indicate the older trees have lowered watertables and have managed the extent of salinity, but paid a price by the accumulated of significant amounts (double) of salt around their roots.

SaltDecide modelling has been carried out in two areas in Western Australia, at Kulin (WA wheatbelt) and on the WA south coast (Lort-Young), with partners, CSIRO and the Western Australian Department of Water to compare and evaluate salinity risk and assist in decision making regarding management. Options assessed included plant-based options (trees, alleys, saltland pastures and perennials) and engineering options (deep open drains and surface water management).

For more information contact project leader, Dr Richard George.