All water, including rain, contains salts. Salinity is a natural result of weathering of rocks and concentration of salts by evaporation or plant transpiration. It becomes an issue when the concentration of soluble salts in soil or water increase to levels that affect water quality, soil properties, plant growth, ecosystem diversity or even built infrastructure.

SEQ Catchments has mapped the salinity extent across the SEQ region and identified priority catchments and as a result we are involved in activities that address localised salinity primarily in the Lockyer and Bremer Catchments.

Targeted Salinity studies have been conducted in the Lockyer catchment through the Lockyer catchment association and more recently by SEQ Catchments through Dr Roger Shaw (download Dr Shaw’s report here) providing significant guidance on strategic management interventions to reduce the impact of salinity. SEQ Catchments prioritizes salinity work on the management interventions identified in this study.

SEQ Catchments has formed a strong alliance with partners such as the Lockyer Valley Regional Council (LVRC) to address salinity in this local government area and the LVRC has included a salinity layer in their planning scheme and agreed to careful planning and consideration with regards to residential development in salinity risk areas.

A recent partnership with PowerlinkGreenworks has enabled SEQ Catchments to target a partnership approach with landholders to address salinity in the Woolshed creek catchment. Further opportunities will be developed in partnership with Local government and landholders.

Download our salinity factsheets to find out more on what causes salinity and how to manage and reduce salinity.

Salinity in the Lockyer Valley - Causes of Salinity (489 KB)

Salinity in the Lockyer Valley - Why Manage Salinity (699 KB)

Salinity in the Lockyer Valley - Why manage on-site wastewater (541 KB)