In the six years since the loss of St Kilda mangroves and saltmarsh, community members and organisations have been advocating to the State Government(s), without much success, to prevent further harm and ensure a long-term closure plan for the saltfields.
Now we hope a breakthrough might be possible with the release of Shifting Salts: Reimagining The Dry Creek Salt Fields, Transforming former salt evaporation ponds into opportunities for the future of northern Adelaide.
Possible scenarios, developed by Adelaide University researchers, include continuing the status quo, resumption of salt mining, tidal restoration, stormwater detention, recycled wastewater treatment, mixed use development. Check out this short video introducing the project.
University research staff engaged with saltfields operator, Buckland Dry Creek, during the project.
FPR is a member of the Save St Kilda Mangroves Alliance and Alliance members will be lobbying for large scale tidal restoration, that will secure the future of the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary, lessen the risks of the impact of sea level rise and storm surges, provide amenity value to growing northern communities, provide options for stormwater detention and prevent potential damage to the marine environment from another contamination event.
There is a strong economic case for restoration – either for the entire site or for the low lying Crown Land parts of the site, with other uses on the higher parts (for example reconfigured salt mining, stormwater management, flood mitigation). Broad, layered benefits from restoration that have been identified include biodiversity benefits, blue carbon sequestration, improved water quality in Gulf St Vincent, recreational and cultural opportunities.
Your support is vital in motivating the State Government to fully consider the options available and begin the implementation of a long-term plan.
Below is the text of a ‘form email’ that you could copy and use to email your local MP to ask for action. The list of emails for State MPs is available here.
And there is a petition asking the SA Government to give in-depth consideration of the options – Petition · SUPPORT DRY CREEK SALTFIELDS RESTORATION – Australia · Change.org
Possible text for your email:
Dear (local MP)
SUPPORT DRY CREEK SALTFIELDS RESTORATION
Good News!
Viable options now exist to resolve the future of the Dry Creek saltfields.
Sadly, the saltfields current operations, and collapsing infrastructure, pose an ongoing risk to neighbours, the mangroves, and the saltmarshes.
Options for the future have been developed by University of Adelaide researchers and outlined in Shifting Salts: Reimagining The Dry Creek Salt Fields, Transforming former salt evaporation ponds into opportunities for the future of northern Adelaide.
Possible scenarios include the status quo, resumption of salt mining, tidal restoration, stormwater detention, recycled wastewater treatment, mixed use development.
I support large scale tidal restoration, that will secure the future of the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary, lessen the risks of the impact of sea level rise and storm surges, build SA’s blue carbon stocks (and please put any further benefits that matter to you, here)
I ask you to lobby the SA Government to
· undertake in-depth consideration of Shifting Salts and work collaboratively with all stakeholders to develop and implement a long-term plan for the saltfields
· act quickly to prevent another disaster, since publicly available data indicates that the current operations of the saltfields could readily lead to a breach in a bund, or another release of hypersaline brine.
Thanks
(your name)