Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TMI-IND-WEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 150 to 800 µS/cm

Optimal Range: 150 to 800

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: OptimalRange

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is CompositeFramework, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.

Contributing Benchmarks

CompositeFramework Primary LowerThreshold Guard UpperThreshold Guard Point Guard MinimumOnly Guard Point Guard OptimalRange Guard UpperThreshold Guard Point Guard MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard Point Guard

Evidence & Context

The proposed optimal range for maintaining high ecological health and function in freshwater systems on Australia's tropical and subtropical maritime islands is 150 – 800 µS/cm.

Metric Definition:

Electrical conductivity range in surface water supporting high ecological health and function.

Benchmark Definition:

Optimal range of electrical conductivity for maintaining high ecological health in freshwater systems.

Justification:

Synthesized from national guidelines, international literature, and local reference site data.

Sources (3)

(PDF) Effects of increasing salinity on freshwater ecosystems in Australia - ResearchGate, accessed August 11, 2025, Journal

Effects of increasing salinity on freshwater ecosystems in Australia - ResearchGate

View Source

Norfolk Island Water Quality Assessment - Squarespace, accessed August 4, 2025, Journal

Norfolk Island Water Quality Assessment - Squarespace

View Source

Preview of Salinity - Murray�darling Basin Authority

Salinity - Murray�darling Basin Authority GreyLiterature

Why test for electrical conductivity, acidity and alkalinity? - The Australian Museum, accessed July 13, 2025

View Source

Supporting Sources (1)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Water quality indicator: Electrical conductivity - Queen Mary University of London, accessed August 11, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

(PDF) Effects of increasing salinity on freshwater ecosystems in ...

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical & Subtropical Maritime Islands
Land Use Industrial & Infrastructure Use
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type HealthyOperationalRange

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 19 Mar 2026

Notes

This range is based on fisheries health data and ANZECC guidelines for tropical Australia.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TMI-IND-WEC family.