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Salinity Province 41, Hattah Lakes

The relatively small Hattah Lakes Salinity Province is mostly public land of the Hattah Lakes National Park, but a small area of irrigation and dryland farming does occur south of the Hattah - Robinvale Road. As with all other Mallee CMA region provinces, salt deposits are a naturally occurring feature of its semi-arid landscape. A regional scale Groundwater Flow System (GFS) comprising marine and alluvial sediments underlies the province, which also has local to intermediate scale GFSs associated with the dunes and younger alluvial sediments along the Murray River trench. Primary salinity processes in this naturally high salinity landscape have been exacerbated by irrigation development that has increased local groundwater recharge. While little salinity occurrence has been mapped, satellite imagery shows horticultural plantings avoid lower lying areas, suggesting soil and/or salinity constraints. Irrigation is likely to increase salinity threat to lower lying areas and enhance saline groundwater discharge to the Murray River. Appropriate management responses include avoiding salt effected areas and optimising plant water use.

Province Attributes

Catchment Management Region:	MALLEE
Priority Status:	High
Province Area:	50,310 ha
Recorded Soil Salinity Area 1:	1 ha
Dominant Surface Geology Type:	Sedimentary
Influence of Geological Structure on Salinity Occurrence/s:	Definite
Relevant Geomorphological Mapping Units (GMUs)	4.1.1, 5.1.X
Predominant Groundwater Flow Systems (GFSs):	Regional & Local/Intermediate
Relevant Irrigation Areas:	N/A

Hattah Lakes Salinity Province Map





Links to further reading and material related to the Mallee 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.