Rising levels of salinity in surface and groundwater are among the biggest environmental challenges facing Western Australia.
In the south west of the state, 18 million hectares of the 25 million originally covered by native vegetation have been cleared. About 1.8 million hectares are now salt-affected.
The clearing of native vegetation and planting of shallow rooted crops can cause groundwater to rise, dissolving naturally occurring salts.
This highly saline water can eventually appear on or near the ground surface, causing 'dryland salinity', damaging soil structure and natural plants, and becoming unsuitable for drinking or irrigation. It can also affect infrastructure such as buildings, roads and railway lines.
Saline water may also find its way into rivers and streams, where the salinity severely damages plant and animal life, and may cause effects hundreds of kilometres downstream. This can make the water unfit for irrigation, industry and the public drinking water supply.
The Department of Water has started a broad Salinity Management Program, working with other state agencies, regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) groups, communities and the Commonwealth Government to research and deliver effective responses to the salinisation of land and water.
The program delivers effective responses to salinity on land and in water and assesses the effects of land use changes, vegetation, and climatic impacts on water resources.
The program aims to protect and restore key water resources, and ensure salinity levels are kept to a level that permits a safe and sustainable supply of water for the benefit of present and future generations.