Water Turbidity

AUS-ASC-CON-WTU General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 2 to 25 NTU

Optimal Range: 2 to 25

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 UpperThreshold Guard MaximumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

The ANZECC 2000 guidelines provide a default low-risk trigger value range of 2–25 NTU for "upland rivers" (defined as >150m altitude) in South-East Australia, noting that "Most good condition upland streams have low turbidity".

Metric Definition:

Water turbidity measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), indicating the cloudiness or haziness of water caused by suspended particulate matter.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the low-risk turbidity range of 2 to 25 NTU for upland rivers in South-East Australia, providing a regulatory context for water quality in alpine and subalpine conservation areas.

Justification:

The ANZECC 2000 guidelines provide a foundational framework for water quality, including turbidity thresholds for upland rivers.

Sources (3)

Preview of Kosciuszko National Park EcoHealth Scorecard 2022–23

Kosciuszko National Park EcoHealth Scorecard 2022–23 GreyLiterature

Assessment of the Values of Kosciuszko National Park (Chapter 8)

View Source

NSW alpine resorts environmental performance report 2020–21 Journal

NSW Alpine Resorts Environmental Performance Report 2020–21

View Source

Preview of Turbidity | River Detectives, accessed July 16, 2025,

Turbidity | River Detectives, accessed July 16, 2025, Journal

Kosciuszko National Park's health a mixed diagnosis in first EcoHealth Scorecard

View Source

Supporting Sources (3)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Kosciuszko National Park's health a mixed diagnosis in first EcoHealth Scorecard

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Kosciuszko National Park's health a mixed diagnosis in first EcoHealth Scorecard

View Source

National Guidelines for Water Quality - Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, accessed August 1, 2025,

Regulatory Framework

Using the ANZECC Guidelines and Water Quality Objectives in NSW

View Source

Victorian Water Quality Analysis 2022 Technical Report - Water and ..., accessed August 12, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Victorian Water Quality Analysis 2022 Technical Report

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Alpine and Subalpine Complex
Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 3 Jun 2026

Notes

This range is broader and less specific than the site-specific benchmark for alpine conservation areas but provides context for low-risk turbidity levels. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

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