Salinity Distribution within County of Cypress

 
 
Subscribe to our free E-Newsletter, "Agri-News" (formerly RTW This Week)Agri-News
This Week
 
 
 
 County of Cypress has 2 656 saline seeps which occupy a total of 6 765 ha (16 724 ac.). 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.

The table presents the number and area of saline seeps for each of the eight salinity types. Depression bottom salinity is the most common type (30.0% of the saline land), followed by coulee bottom salinity (33.7%), irrigation salinity (10.8%), contact/slope change salinity (9.9%), natural/irrigation salinity (4.2%), slough ring salinity (4.1%), artesian salinity (2.2%), and outcrop salinity (0.1%).

Salinity Type
Number
of Seeps
Area (ha)
Percent (%)
Of Total Saline Area
Contact/slope change salinity
549
675.19
9.9
Uutcrop salinity
21
5.26
0.1
Artesian salinity
27
144.18
2.2
Depression bottom
1 071
3 366.31
35.0
Coulee bottom salinity
266
2 274.98
33.7
Slough ring salinity
153
283.29
4.1
Irrigation canal seepage salinity
402
727 32
10.8
Natural/irrigation salinity
167
288.63
4.2
Total
2 656
6 765.16
100.00

Total saline area by type

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

 
 
 
 
Share via AddThis.com
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 January 12, 2015.