Rapid Assessment of Acid Sulfate Soils in Eight Mile Creek and Piccaninnie Ponds (2024 – )

Auricht Projects is currently leading an initiative in association with the University of Adelaide’s Acid Sulfate Soils Centre (ASSC) for the Limestone Coast Landscape Board. The project focuses on a Rapid Assessment of Acid Sulfate Soil in the Eight Mile Creek and Piccaninnie Swamp areas of the Southeast of South Australia. This includes a field program followed by an extensive analysis of soil pH, % Organic Carbon, Bulk Density, EC, X-Ray diffraction and Acid Sulfate Base Accounting. A distinctive feature of this project is the ability to link to 1942 soil and vegetation data for the region as documented by Stephens, C.G. (1943) The pedology of a South Australian fen. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 67 (2) 191-199 and Eardley, C.M. (1943) An ecological study of the vegetation of Eight Mile Creek Swamp; a natural South Australian coastal fen formation. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 67 (2) 191-199. This linkage provides a unique opportunity to compare current conditions with historic samples in the Australian National Soil Archive. The other unique aspect of this project is the opportunity to inform restoration plans for the Landscapes Board Karst Springs project which aims to restore the habitat of a Threatened Ecological Community listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC).