Water Nitrate

AUS-ASC-LVG-WNI General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 0 to 0.1 mg/L

Optimal Range: 0 to 0.1

Direction: Lower 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 MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard UpperThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard MaximumOnly Guard CompositeFramework Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard

Evidence & Context

The optimal range for water nitrate (as NOx-N or NNN) in Australian alpine and subalpine grazing systems demonstrating high environmental health is likely from below detection limits up to <0.1 mg/L N.

Metric Definition:

Water nitrate concentration expressed as NOx-N or Nitrate+Nitrite Nitrogen (NNN).

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the optimal range of water nitrate concentration consistent with sustained high ecological health in alpine and subalpine grazing systems.

Justification:

Synthesized from ANZECC & ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines and supported by analogous New Zealand data indicating near-pristine conditions with nitrate typically below 0.1 mg/L N.

Sources (1)

Preview of Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZECC & ARMCANZ 2000) - Default trigger values for physical and chemical stressors for south-east Australia; Upland rivers. As cited in: Peet Limited (undated). Googong Urban Development Environmental Impact Statement - Chapter 7 Water Quality and Hydrology.

Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZECC & ARMCANZ 2000) - Default trigger values for physical and chemical stressors for south-east Australia; Upland rivers. As cited in: Peet Limited (undated). Googong Urban Development Environmental Impact Statement - Chapter 7 Water Quality and Hydrology.

View Source

Supporting Sources (1)

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

Context

Region Australia
Biome Alpine and Subalpine Complex
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 2 Jun 2026

Notes

This range represents concentrations consistent with high ecological health in well-managed alpine and subalpine grazing landscapes. The range is narrow and situated at very low concentrations due to ecosystem sensitivity. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-ASC-LVG-WNI family.