Drought-induced saltwater-intrusion

[southsoundtree]

Anyone know about this?

We have a lot of shoreline on the Puget Sound in Olympia, and 4 years of drought.

 

[cerviarborist]

Saltwater intrusion has been a long-standing phenomenon in coastal areas of Florida. The county in which I live no longer has a local source of potable water. It's all piped in from other counties. Certain coastal areas had a lot of native palm specimens decline and die due to saltwater intrusion.

 

[southsoundtree]

I wonder if shoreline trees can be helped through irrigation.

Is it just too late once stress signs show?

 

[cerviarborist]

I suppose the question would be whether salinity in the sound waters in those areas has increased appreciably. I don't know whether the phenomenon you're describing is the same kind of intrusion. Here in Florida, saltwater has made it into the aquifer in many areas in close proximity to shorelines. The wells are producing salt water. I know that Appalachicola Bay is suffering loss of oyster beds due to increased salinity in the bay water, which is presumed to be caused by increased fresh water diversion upstream. It may be important to find out the actual cause. If local wells are salty, then irrigating trees with that water may compound, rather than alleviate the problem.

 

[southsoundtree]

I don't know anything about SWI, really. I'm reading.

I heard someone say SWI, and thought I know nothing about it.
Don't know if it was in relation to the well or trees.

I was thinking that with drought, the saline water might be coming up higher in the soil through capillary action or whatnot.

With tidal lands, I'm curious how roots grow if not saltwater/ flood adapted species. Lots of doug-fir at waters edge around here. Some slowly tipping in, and growing against gravity, making a perfect free climbing tree. A ladder of branches on a curving, less than vertical trunk.

 

[evo]

I don't know anything about SWI, really. I'm reading.

I heard someone say SWI, and thought I know nothing about it.
Don't know if it was in relation to the well or trees.

I was thinking that with drought, the saline water might be coming up higher in the soil through capillary action or whatnot.

With tidal lands, I'm curious how roots grow if not saltwater/ flood adapted species. Lots of doug-fir at waters edge around here. Some slowly tipping in, and growing against gravity, making a perfect free climbing tree. A ladder of branches on a curving, less than vertical trunk.

I'm not sure how big of a issue that is for us. I will as my ecologist friends about it, but I've seen so many trees literally horizontal out over the salt water getting salt spray without issue.. I could see it more of a issue with the mud flat estuary lands. I've seen it with giant king tide storm surge. Topography and soil type would be the determining factor. Florida is freakin flat.

 

[TreeCo]

Salt water intrusion is not a new subject for me. I've been watching it happen on the Delmarva Peninsula my whole life. I'm 62.

We at one time had a thriving nursery industry on the south end of out peninsula. So much fresh water was drawn from the aquifers that salt water intrusion eventually shut down the whole industry. Along with it went hundreds, even thousands of homeowner domestic water wells.

Here are a few links that may be of interest:

http://www.a-npdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/ESVAGroundwaterResourceProtectionAndPreservationPlan2013compress.pdf

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/03/maryland-salt-farms/554663/

https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/2015/12/16/officials-eye-saltwater-intrusion/7636

 

[southsoundtree]

TY