Support a positive future for St Kilda mangroves, saltmarsh and residents
Hi everyone,
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 University of Adelaide researchers, include continuing the status quo, resumption of salt mining, tidal restoration, stormwater detention, recycled wastewater treatment, mixed use development. University research staff engaged with saltfields operator, Buckland Dry Creek, during the project. You can see a short video introducing the project here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bu9Q2rvDKw
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.
You could also assist our campaign by sharing Shifting Salts content on your social media feeds - LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Kindest regards
Save St Kilda Mangroves Alliance
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, (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)
The St Kilda Mangrove Die-off
Our beautiful tidal wetlands (mangroves and Commonwealth EPBC Act protected saltmarshes) surrounding the St Kilda Mangrove Boardwalk have been sickening and dying since mid 2020.
The nearby decommissioned gypsum ponds were filled with hyper-saline brines. Gypsum, lining the old ponds, had rotted after sitting empty for seven years and now the ponds are leaking and mobilising acidic materials from underneath the gypsum crust.
The SA Department of Energy & Mines regulate all the ponds as part of the Dry Creek Saltfields and the SA Department for the Environment manage the National Park next to the gypsum ponds.
Both departments have allowed this catastrophic impact to continue unchecked, merely measuring the impact, rather than being proactive and starting efforts to halt the ongoing leakage occurring from underneath the irreparably damaged gypsum crust.
Please sign, and share the petition for the South Australian Government to act immediately to minimise the damage done to the St Kilda Mangrove Forest through the continuing leaking of hyper-saline liquid from the adjoining gypsum ponds.
So far the impact continues, no one is admitting it is an ongoing disaster, no one is taking responsibility and the environment is losing ground (and ability to repair itself) daily. [28-12-2020]
Peri Coleman (CONSULTANT, DELTA ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING)