VVG Resources

Bulart Salinity Study II - Groundwater and Soils

Dahlhaus, P.; Woof, C.;

The Bulart Land Management Group and the Geology Department at the University of Ballarat have established a on-going research program into understanding the dryland salinity problems in the Bulart area. This report mainly deals with the work carried out during 1994 by Chris Woof, a Geology Honours student at the University of Ballarat. Copies of the research thesis are held by the University and the Bulart Land Management Group. The work was funded by a Community Salinity Grant allocated by the Glenelg Salinity Forum and distributed through the Salinity Bureau.
This study builds on the work carried out by Fiona Jerinic, a Geology Honours student at the University of Ballarat in 1993. Fiona mapped salt affected land in the Bulart area into three broad classes, started a monitoring program of groundwater bores, and proposed some ideas on the groundwater movement and its salinity. Fiona's work was fully reported in her Honours Research Thesis and a summary was distributed to BLMG members in a report titled "The Bulart Salinity Study".
The aims of the study conducted by Chris were:

1. to continue the monitoring of the groundwater levels and salinity;
2. to investigate how and where the salt is stored in the soil and rocks, and how it makes its way to the surface;
3. monitor the amount of salt affected land.

The authors thank the following people and organisations:

• The Glenelg Salinity Forum and the Salinity Bureau for the funding .
• The members of the Bulart Land Management Group for their help, hospitality, encouragement and generosity.
• The Bulart CFA; Central Highlands Water; CRA Exploration; Boral quarries; and Department of Agriculture all helped with aspects of the study.
• The staff of the University of Ballarat provided expertise, laboratory space and materials for the study.