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Acid Sulfate Soils Hotspots Remediation Program

At the commencement of the program, the hotspots were areas where previous land management both contributed to and could have lead to further severe soil and water acidification, poor water quality, reduction in agricultural productivity, loss of estuarine habitat and degraded vegetation and wildlife. They were the sites that were worst affected by acid sulfate soils, and they had the highest priority for remedial action.

In most hotspots, former wetlands had been affected by extensive engineered drainage and flood mitigation schemes. Hotspots were strategically important for the management of estuarine and floodplain areas, and for ambient water quality. Continued improvement of land management practices was essential in those areas.

The program was launched in November 2000, providing $2.65 million for remediation of seven identified hotspots in NSW. These areas were chosen due to severe acidification of water or soil with impacts such as salt scalds, degraded water quality, and fish kills.

The program aimed to reduce the frequency, intensity and duration of acidic discharges from these seven hotspots, located in the Clarence, Tweed, Hastings, Macleay, Manning and Shoalhaven catchments.

More details about the areas selected as hotspots are available in priority management area reports:

• Byron–Brunswick Floodplains (Tulau 1999) (PDF 296 KB)
• Lower Hastings–Camden Haven (Tulau 1999) (PDF 311 KB)
• Lower Clarence Floodplains (Tulau 1999) (PDF 289 KB)
• Lower Macleay Floodplain (Tulau & Naylor 1999) (PDF 753 KB)
• Lower Manning Floodplain (Tulau 1999) (PDF 558 KB)
• Lower Richmond Floodplain (Tulau 1999) (PDF 1047 KB)
• Lower Tweed Floodplains (Tulau 1999) (PDF 501 KB)

Table 1: Hotspots listed by catchment

Catchment	Project stage 1	Project stage 2
Tweed	Cudgen Lake	Dulguigan, McLeods Creek – Main Trust Canal
Brunswick		Belongil Swamp
Richmond		Rocky Mouth Creek, Tuckean Swamp, Maguires – Emigrant Creeks, Newrybar – North Creek, Sandy Creek – Bungawalbyn
Clarence	Everlasting Swamp	Lower Estuary Floodplain and Islands, Alumy Creek, Shark Creek
Macleay	Collombatti – Clybucca	Belmore, Frogmore, Kinchela, Raffertys, Yarrahapinni
Hastings – Camden Haven	Partridge Creek Upper Maria – Connection Creek	Rossglen, Lower Maria River
Manning	Lower Lansdowne – Moto – Ghinni Ghinni Creek	North Oxley Island, Dickensons Creek, Cattai – Pipeclay
Shoalhaven	Broughton Creek

The program concluded in 2004. Technical data can be obtained from acidsulfatesoils@environment.nsw.gov.au.