Salinity Distribution in the Municipal District of Cardston

The M.D. of Cardston has 1370 saline seeps which occupy a total of 6 607 ha (16 299 ac), representing 1.3% of the M.D.'s total area. The visibly saline areas have such high salinity levels that annual crops cannot be grown and forage crops have significantly reduced yields. Often the lands surrounding the visibly saline areas are also weakly saline, resulting in reduced yields especially for salt-sensitive crops.

Salinity distribution by type in the M.D. of Cardston

Salinity type	Number of seeps	Area (ha)	Percent of total saline area
Contact/slope change	494	1 700.21	25.7
Outcrop	151	268.88	4.1
Depression bottom	430	2 708.88	41
Coulee bottom	56	786.56	11.9
Artesian	10	19.44	0.3
Irrigation canal seepage	74	356.82	5.4
Natural/irrigation	155	766.2	11.6
Total	1 370	6 606.99	100

Depression bottom salinity occupies the greatest area (41.0% of all saline land in the M.D.), followed by contact/slope change salinity (25.7%), coulee bottom salinity (11.9%), natural/irrigation salinity (11.6%), irrigation canal seepage salinity (5.4%), outcrop salinity (4.1%), and artesian salinity (0.3%). There is no evidence that slough ring salinity occurs in the M.D.

Number of saline seeps by type in the M.D. of Cardston

Salinity type

Please refer to Salinity Classification, Mapping and Management in Alberta for more information

For more information about the content of this document, contact Karen Raven.
This document is maintained by Laura Thygesen.
This information published to the web on July 7, 2004.
Last Reviewed/Revised on June 6, 2018.