Soils on the Swan Coastal Plain have the potential to become actual acid sulfate soils unless the watertable is maintained at a suitable level to prevent the oxidation of acid generating sulfide minerals.
Up until recently, the management of acid sulfate soils in Western Australia has been based on methodologies and conceptual models developed in Queensland and New South Wales.
However, the acidity issue in the Bassendean Dunes is different from most other areas in Australia where sulfide minerals are predominantly associated with silty- or clayey-textured soils.
The acid sulfate soil management criteria developed on the eastern seaboard are not appropriate for the Bassendean Dunes.
