Hello members, I have a question on overlays in the IPswich/Moreton Bay/BCC councils. Some of the properties are being reported to have 'Acid Sulphate soil overlay' in pdonline of the respective councils. I have been discounting them but thought of checking the views of the forum members. I understand flood, mining influence, bush fire are the major checks but say a property doesn't have all these but has 'acid sulphate overlay' is that a serious issue?
Acid sulphate soils (ASS) aren't generally a problem. If you will be digging up a site with ASS, you may expose the soils to oxygen which causes a chemical reaction that results in the creation of sulphuric acid. As part of a DA for the site, council may want you to confirm if ASS is present (send a couple of samples to a lab), and if they are then the lab can tell you how much lime is needed to be mixed into the excavated soil to neutralise the chemical reaction. If you don't change anything at the site that will cause the soils to be exposed to an increase in oxygen, then you wont have a problem.
