Water Nitrate

AUS-TMS-AGR-WNI General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range
Range: 0.005 to 0.01 mg/L
Optimal Range: 0.005 to 0.01
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 UpperThreshold Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard OptimalRange Guard OptimalRange Guard

Evidence & Context

The proposed reference benchmark for water nitrate, expressed as nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N), under best-practice sustainable or regenerative agricultural crop production in Australian Tropical Monsoonal Savannas is 0.005 - 0.010 mg/L NO₃⁻-N.

Metric Definition:

Water nitrate concentration expressed as nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) in freshwater streams.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the reference range for water nitrate concentration under best-practice sustainable or regenerative agricultural crop production in the Australian Tropical Monsoonal Savannas biome.

Justification:

This range is primarily derived from water quality data from freshwater streams in the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, representing minimally impacted catchments with land uses approaching sustainable management, combined with regional water quality guidelines.

Sources (2)

Preview of "Water quality monitoring in Cape York Streams June to August 2021" (QLD DES 2021)
"Water quality monitoring in Cape York Streams June to August 2021" (QLD DES 2021) Journal

environment.desi.qld.gov.au

View Source
Preview of environment.des.qld.gov.au, accessed May 14, 2025,
environment.des.qld.gov.au, accessed May 14, 2025, Journal

Howley, C., Turner, R., Darr, A., & Grimes, A. (2021). Water quality monitoring in Cape York Streams: June to August 2021. Queensland Department of Environment and Science.

View Source

Supporting Sources (15)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of (PDF) Nitrate in groundwaters of intensive agricultural areas in coastal Northeastern Australia - ResearchGate, accessed July 24, 2025,
(PDF) Nitrate in groundwaters of intensive agricultural areas in coastal Northeastern Australia - ResearchGate, accessed July 24, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

(PDF) Nitrate in groundwaters of intensive agricultural areas in coastal Northeastern Australia - ResearchGate, accessed July 27, 2025

View Source
Preview of Australia's tropical savannas: vast, ancient and rich landscapes - CSIRO Research Publications Repository, accessed May 11, 2025,
Australia's tropical savannas: vast, ancient and rich landscapes - CSIRO Research Publications Repository, accessed May 11, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Williams RJ, Duff GA, Bowman DMJS, Cook GD. Australia's tropical savannas: vast, ancient and rich landscapes. In: David Keith, editor/s. Australian vegetation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 2017. 368-388.

View Source
Preview of Australian Savanna Biome, accessed May 17, 2025,
Australian Savanna Biome, accessed May 17, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

The Tropical Savannas of Northern Australia - Charles Darwin University, accessed July 23, 2025

View Source
Preview of Cape York eastern basins - Queensland Environment Department, accessed May 11, 2025,
Cape York eastern basins - Queensland Environment Department, accessed May 11, 2025,
Regulatory Framework Government

Cape York eastern basins - Queensland Environment Department, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Does rapid utilization of elevated nutrient availability allow eucalypts to dominate in the tropical savannas of Australia? - PubMed Central, accessed May 11, 2025,
Does rapid utilization of elevated nutrient availability allow eucalypts to dominate in the tropical savannas of Australia? - PubMed Central, accessed May 11, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

General soil fertility guides and commercial forestry studies

View Source
Preview of environment.desi.qld.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,
environment.desi.qld.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,
Direct Evidence Journal

environment.desi.qld.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Environmental impacts of nitrate pollution - Aquamonitrix, accessed July 24, 2025,
Environmental impacts of nitrate pollution - Aquamonitrix, accessed July 24, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

ANZG, 2024. Toxicant default guideline values for aquatic ecosystem protection: Nitrate in freshwater

View Source
Preview of Food, Climate & Regenerative Farming FAQ - The Nature Conservancy, accessed May 11, 2025,
Food, Climate & Regenerative Farming FAQ - The Nature Conservancy, accessed May 11, 2025,
Contextual Support

Scaling Regenerative Agriculture in Tropical Regions - Rainforest Alliance, accessed July 23, 2025

View Source
Preview of Hardness (as calcium carbonate) | Australian Drinking Water Guidelines - NHMRC, accessed May 11, 2025,
Hardness (as calcium carbonate) | Australian Drinking Water Guidelines - NHMRC, accessed May 11, 2025,
Irrelevant Government

Hardness (as calcium carbonate) | Australian Drinking Water Guidelines - NHMRC, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of The water quality and economic benefits of agricultural management practices, accessed August 5, 2025
The water quality and economic benefits of agricultural management practices, accessed August 5, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

DRINKING WATER QUALITY ANNUAL REPORT 2022-2023 - Alpine Resorts Victoria

View Source
Preview of Toxicant default guideline values for aquatic ecosystem protection ..., accessed August 8, 2025
Toxicant default guideline values for aquatic ecosystem protection ..., accessed August 8, 2025
Regulatory Framework Journal

Nitrate in freshwater, toxicant default guideline values for protecting aquatic ecosystems

View Source
Preview of Tropical savanna climate (Aw) | SKYbrary Aviation Safety, accessed May 11, 2025,
Tropical savanna climate (Aw) | SKYbrary Aviation Safety, accessed May 11, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Tropical savanna climate (Aw) | SKYbrary Aviation Safety, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Water hardness - Tamworth Regional Council, accessed May 11, 2025,
Water hardness - Tamworth Regional Council, accessed May 11, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Water hardness - Tamworth Regional Council, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of www.detsi.qld.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,
www.detsi.qld.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

www.detsi.qld.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of www.rrrc.org.au, accessed May 15, 2025,
www.rrrc.org.au, accessed May 15, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Sediments and nutrients in north Queensland tropical streams: changes with agricultural development and pristine condition status (Technical Report No. 62, Australian Rainforest CRC, 2006)

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Tropical Monsoonal Savannas
  • Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
  • Assessment Not Stated
  • Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 2 Jun 2026

Notes

No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always worse beyond this range. This benchmark represents the best available condition achievable under best-practice sustainable or regenerative agricultural crop production in the Australian Tropical Monsoonal Savannas biome. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TMS-AGR-WNI family.

1.1 mg N-NO₃⁻/L Low
Agricultural Crop Production · Not Stated
Point Active v1
2.6 mg N-NO₃⁻/L Low
Agricultural Crop Production · Not Stated
Point Active v1