Salinity Assessment

Salinity Assessment

Salinity Assessment is often conducted to determine whether the salt in the soil could have an impact on a proposed development, or when soil is being moved from one site to another. Salt corrodes concrete and steel and has impacts on plant growth.

A saline soil is a soil which contains sufficient soluble salt to adversely affect plant growth and/or land use. Salinity is a major natural resource management issue within Australia. Salts can originate from a number of sources such as the weathering of rock and soil or from salted water bodies. Surface and groundwater can mobilise these salts and cause them to accumulate in other areas. The impacts of saline soils include damaged infrastructure through the corrosion of concrete, steel, bricks and mortar, vegetation distress or dieback and increased erosion potential. The salinity of a soil is determined by the electrical conductivity of a soil, corrected for texture.

Aggressiveness is a measure of the potential for corrosion to occur on concrete or steel structures. Soil aggressiveness is generally determined by analysing the pH, electrical conductivity and presence of chlorides and sulphates within soils.

 Our Service

Compaction & Soil Testing Services Pty Ltd is experienced in conducting salinity investigations. Our range of services includes consultation, site investigation, texture classification and recovery of samples by a team of practiced samplers with knowledge in sampling techniques and sampling patterns. With the exception of texture classification, recovered samples are analysed by an independent laboratory, providing added assurance that the results obtained are impartial. Details of the investigation, analysis of results and any recommendations are included as standard for all salinity investigations.

Compaction & Soil Testing Service Pty Ltd also can prepare associative management plans to meet legislative, regulatory or project requirements.

Our Experience

Compaction & Soil Testing Services Pty Ltd is experienced in conducting salinity assessments particularly with regard to the aggressiveness of a soil as it affects the design of structures for proposed development. Please contact our office if you require a salinity assessment for any other purposes and would like to discuss tailoring our services to meet your requirements.