Special Collections at Murdoch University

Special Collections at Murdoch University

Our Special Collections are home to thousands of culturally significant, unique and hard to find items.
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Plastic sheeting helps beat salt spread

Tools

Collis, B. (1985) Plastic sheeting helps beat salt spread. Farm, May 1985. pp. 20-22 [Publication] [Special Collections]

Summary

Large sheets of black plastic have been added to the armoury of farmers seeking to reclaim salt affected land. The plastic sheeting is proving an effective and inexpensive way to plug sand seams running underneath interceptor banks, it has been tested in Western Australia by the innovative salt land reclamation groups, WISALTS. An original idea by Quairading farmer Laurie Adamson, the WISALTS group regards the plastic lining as an experiment, but results have been promising so far. A trial site installing the plastic sheeting is on the property of Jim Erskine at Denbarker, 20 kilometres south west of Mount Barker. Five level banks have been installed on the property about 100 metres above the existing salt scald. They intercept all run-off and seepage from the surface to the clay bed, helping to keep rainfall on the high ground where it falls. Harry Whittington says the key to tackling the salinity problem is understanding how it happens and to know the warning signs that can appear up to ten years before a salt scald occurs.

This article contains five images: a plastic lined trench being filled; a trench cut into the base of the Interceptor bank; a bulldozer at work with a number of onlookers; plastic sheeting being placed in a trench with a number of helpers and onlookers and a portrait of Harry Whittington.

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to provide a public view of this newspaper article as the copyright is held by the publisher of Farm.

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This article is part of the WISALTS (Whittington Interceptor Sustainable Agriculture Land Treatment Society Incorporated) Collection.

Item Type: Special Collections
Collection: WISALTS Collection
Copyright: ©1985 Farm
Notes: 1 newspaper clipping
URI: http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/59750
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