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Salt Water Disposal Basins

As part of the effort to 'clean up' the River Murray (and other rivers), the salty effluent from irrigation areas is being pumped to lakes where it evaporates to form a salt lake. Some of these lakes are being used to produce salt and other minerals, but most are not used. Considerable power is required to operate pumps and there is considerable difficulty in keeping the water in a salt lake as the salt eventually works its way through soil and 'leaks' back to ground water. Having an economic resource based on these lakes will allow lining of the lakes with plastic (so they don't leak) and better management.

More information on saline effluent disposal is on the Murray darling basin committee web site www.mdbc.gov.au

A number of natural highly saline aquifers underlay the River Murray - these may form a valuable resource of water for solar pond development.

 Saline water supplies in South Australia

In many parts od South Australia there are vast supplies of saline water near the surface. These are sumetimes natural but more often caused by the rise in groundwater caused by annual cropping.

The map below shows where the saline water resorces are nearest the surface.

Natural salinised areas

These occur all over the state of South Australia - possibly these areas have become worse due to rise of saline water tables but most predate white settlement

A typical area is shown in this air phot of the area around Menigie.

The large circles are irrigation areas using centre pivot sprinkler systems

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