The presence of both Chlorides and of Calcium Carbonate will affect a primary production enterprise’s productivity.
Chlorosis (yellowing and hardening) of leaves is the usual symptom to look out for the presence of chlorides. Calcium Carbonate can cause pipes to block or corrode.
Chlorides
High Chloride levels in water may cause poor growth and death in sensitive plants. This occurs particularly if the water is sprayed onto the leaves.
If you apply high chloride water to plants via drip irrigation, then levels up to 140 mg/L (or 140 ppm) are acceptable but any chloride water levels above this need to be treated with caution and certainly not used for irrigation if chloride levels get above 350 mg/L .
Calcium Carbonate
The Calcium Carbonate Saturation Index for water is determined by the relationship between pH, salinity, alkalinity and hardness. Index figures between -0.5 and +0.5 are acceptable in water but corrosion can occur below -0.5 and blockages above +0.5. Calcium carbonates are best known in the stalactites and stalagmites formed in caves by deposition.
The photo below shows a close view of tufa deposits along the shore of Mono Lake in California (USA). The tufa deposits form underwater as calcium-rich groundwater enters the lake from a spring or fracture. The spring water reacts with dissolved carbonates in the lake water to form calcium carbonate, or limestone. The calcium carbonate forms a deposit upward from the lake bottom, and over tens to hundreds of years, can build tufa towers more than 10 m tall. The tufa deposits are visible today because the lake’s water level has fallen dramatically since 1941, which is when fresh water flowing into the lake was diverted to the city of Los Angeles.
