7.2.1. Soil acidity

Many of the soils in the mid-Murrumbidgee catchment are naturally acidic.
However, common management practices, particularly the use of annual legume-based pastures, encourage even greater soil acidity.
This is because of the inefficient use of nitrogen by plants, leading to an accumulation of nitrates in the soil. When there is a mismatch between rainfall and plant demand for nitrogen, the nitrogen is leached (washed out) from the soil under pastures or crops, which lowers the soil pH.