Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TSW-AQU-WEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

30000 µS/cm

Thresholds: Lower: —, Upper: 3E+04

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: UpperThreshold

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context. The scoring engine uses 18 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 17 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

A proposed upper detrimental threshold is therefore set at > 30,000 µS/cm.

Metric Definition:

Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

Benchmark Definition:

The upper detrimental threshold beyond which salinity imposes significant osmotic stress and environmental risk.

Justification:

High salinity increases energetic costs for cultured species and environmental risk from potential leakage or discharge.

Sources (1)

Preview of Salinity | Land and soil - Environment and Heritage - NSW Government, accessed August 11, 2025

Salinity | Land and soil - Environment and Heritage - NSW Government, accessed August 11, 2025 Government

Australia state of the environment 2021: land, accessed July 28, 2025

View Source

Supporting Sources (3)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000), accessed May 11, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

Northern Territory Government (2020) Darwin Harbour Region Water Quality Objectives, Report Card Section 3.0.

View Source

Characterising the relationship between water quality and water quantity, accessed August 5, 2025

Direct Evidence Journal

Report Card 2022-23 - EPA Victoria

View Source

Water quality of surface water environments - NSW Government Water, accessed August 1, 2025,

Direct Evidence Government

National Guidelines for Water Quality | Department of Natural ...

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Semi-Arid Shrublands & Open Woodlands
Land Use Aquaculture
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 20 Mar 2026

Notes

This threshold is conservative to protect the semi-arid landscape and ensure sustainable aquaculture operation.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TSW-AQU-WEC family.