Dry Creek salt field
The Dry Creek salt field is an area of evaporation ponds stretching more than 30 km along the coast from Dry Creek to Middle Beach.
Several South Australian Government agencies are involved with the regulation of the site and associated habitats. For information about:
- The lead regulator of operations at the site, visit the Department for Energy and Mining (DEM)
- The regulation of discharges to marine or inland waters associated with salt production, read below
- Adjacent native vegetation and the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary, visit the Department for Environment and Water (DEW).
Buckland Dry Creek Pty Ltd (BDC) owns the Dry Creek salt field site and holds mining leases to undertake mining operations at the site.
BDC also has an EPA authorisation in the form of a licence (EPA Licence #40942) under the Environment Protection Act 1993 for chemical storage and warehousing facilities, chemical works (salt production), and discharges to marine or inland waters.
2020–21 dieback event and court settlement
The site is adjacent to the St Kilda mangroves, which experienced the dieback of approximately 9 hectares of mangroves, 10 hectares of saltmarsh, and about 5 hectares of sparsely vegetated areas in 2020 and 2021.
Working closely with DEM and DEW, investigations conducted by the EPA determined that the movement of hypersaline water from salt ponds, which are part of the salt field site, contributed to the dieback event south of St Kilda.
The EPA assisted with scientific advice, water sampling, and the installation of a piezometer network to collect information on groundwater levels around the salt ponds and adjacent saltmarsh and mangrove habitats.
The government’s coordinated response assessed environmental impacts and conditions and determined what actions needed to be taken by BDC and by government to prevent further damage to the natural environment and rehabilitate the affected area.
The EPA reached a civil settlement with BDC in 2024, with BDC paying $100,000 to fund an environmental monitoring study of the local area.
BDC’s EPA licence was also varied to include a condition that requires the pumping of excess hypersaline water should it accumulate in the salt pond south of St Kilda.
Monitoring study
The funds from the civil settlement will go towards a three-year environmental monitoring study of the area impacted by the dieback event, to measure and track the recovery of mangrove and saltmarsh communities.
Monitoring to date has confirmed there has been no further dieback of mangroves, and some areas have shown improvement. This includes mangrove seedlings germinating in the affected area and some saltmarsh species showing signs of recovery.
The new three-year study will measure and track for the recovery of vegetation in the most impacted areas and identify further actions that will help secure the long-term future of saltmarsh and mangroves in the area.
