Salinity Distribution in the Municipal District of Acadia

The M.D. of Acadia has 125 saline seeps which occupy a total of 1 810 ha (4 472 ac), representing 1.6% 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 Acadia

Salinity type	Number of seeps	Area (ha)	Percent of total saline area
Contact/slope change	3	36.55	2
Depression bottom	117	1 411.94	78
Coulee bottom	5	362.22	20
Total	125	1 810.71	100

Depression bottom salinity occupies the greatest area (78.0% of all saline land in the M.D.), followed by coulee bottom salinity (20.0%), and contact/slope change salinity (2.0%). There is no evidence that outcrop salinity, artesian salinity, slough ring salinity, canal seepage salinity, and natural/irrigation salinity occur in the M.D.

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

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 February 12, 2004.
Last Reviewed/Revised on December 4, 2017.