In Queensland, there are a number of guidelines that should be used for acid sulfate soil investigations, risk assessments and management.
The Queensland Acid Sulfate Soil Technical Manual, Soil Management Guidelines, version 5.1 describes best practice standards for managing coastal acid sulfate soils. Version 5.1 contains information on risk assessments, avoiding and minimising soil disturbance, and management of unavoidable disturbances. Management techniques such as neutralisation and strategic reburial are discussed in detail. This version includes material on groundwater dewatering, water quality parameters, remediation, environmental management plans, and a poem on sulfidisation. Further clarity is provided about trenching, acidic non-sulfidic soils and small volume disturbances.
The latest Queensland sampling guidelines are the National ASS Sampling and Identification Methods Manual. These have superseded the 1998 Queensland Sampling Guidelines.
The National ASS Identification and Laboratory Methods Manual describes laboratory methods which can be used to conclusively identify the presence or absence of acid sulfate soils, to quantitatively assess the associated hazards, and includes a section on interpretation of laboratory results. The 2004 Queensland Laboratory Methods Guidelines and Australian Standard AS4969 also include the option of analysing soil using the Suspension Peroxide Oxidation Combined Acidity and Sulfate (SPOCAS) method, which can provide additional information to aid with interpretation of results. If choosing SPOCAS analysis, the methods to calculate net acidity and liming rates must be consistent with the definitions contained within the National Guidance Material.
The guidelines should be used by consultants, earth moving contractors, developers, agricultural and aquaculture producers, sand and gravel extraction operators, community groups and administering authorities from state and local government.