Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-ASC-CON-WEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

30 µS/cm
Direction: Lower is desirable ↓
Form: MaximumOnly

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 6 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 5 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary MaximumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard

Evidence & Context

Therefore, a reference value of < 30 µS/cm is selected.

Metric Definition:

Water Electrical Conductivity (EC) representing the best available condition of nature within Australian Alpine and Subalpine Complexes in Conservation / Protected Natural Areas.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the upper boundary of water electrical conductivity in alpine streams within conservation areas, indicating high ecological health and minimal human disturbance.

Justification:

The selection of < 30 µS/cm is justified by its alignment with observed field measurements from sites explicitly identified as reference or control locations in scientific studies and with regional guideline values derived for alpine settings.

Sources (2)

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

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

View Source
Preview of Impacts of road de-icing salts on water quality and macroinvertebrates in streams of the Australian Alps (Shenton et al., 2021).
Impacts of road de-icing salts on water quality and macroinvertebrates in streams of the Australian Alps (Shenton et al., 2021).

The Effects of Road De-icing Salts on Water Quality and Macroinvertebrates in Australian Alpine Streams

View Source

Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000) - V, accessed July 22, 2025
Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000) - V, accessed July 22, 2025
Direct Evidence Journal

1.5.2.1 Surface water - Bioregional Assessments |

View Source
Preview of Review of water quality studies in the Australian Alps, accessed August 12, 2025,
Review of water quality studies in the Australian Alps, accessed August 12, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

Feral horses (Equus caballus) increase suspended sediment in subalpine streams

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Alpine and Subalpine Complex
  • Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

  • Status Superseded
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 3 Jun 2026
  • Effective To 3 Jun 2026

Notes

This value captures the typical upper boundary of EC observed in high ecological health alpine streams with minimal anthropogenic disturbance. Many streams naturally exhibit EC values lower than this, often in the 10-25 µS/cm range. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are not desirable beyond this point.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-ASC-CON-WEC family.

50 µS/cm Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Pristine Reference
MaximumOnly Active v2