Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-AIF-FOR-WEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

1500 μS/cm

Direction: Lower is desirable ↓

Form: MaximumOnly

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

Evidence & Context

A comprehensive review by Nielsen et al. (2003) concluded that, as a general rule, aquatic biota are adversely affected as salinity exceeds 1000 mg/L, which the authors equate to an EC of approximately 1500 ³S/cm.

Metric Definition:

Electrical Conductivity (EC) threshold beyond which salinity becomes detrimental to aquatic biota.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the maximum water electrical conductivity level beyond which salinity causes significant adverse effects on aquatic biota, indicating a shift from healthy to degraded ecosystem conditions in production forestry within the Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems biome.

Justification:

Supported by observed impacts across various biotic groups, this threshold is critical for maintaining ecosystem function despite being based on a single source.

Sources (1)

Preview of (PDF) Effects of increasing salinity on freshwater ecosystems in ..., accessed July 20, 2025,

(PDF) Effects of increasing salinity on freshwater ecosystems in ..., accessed July 20, 2025, GreyLiterature

(PDF) Effects of increasing salinity on freshwater ecosystems in ...

Supporting Sources (16)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of (PDF) Effects of increasing salinity on freshwater ecosystems in Australia - ResearchGate, accessed August 11, 2025,

(PDF) Effects of increasing salinity on freshwater ecosystems in Australia - ResearchGate, accessed August 11, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

(PDF) Effects of increasing salinity on freshwater ecosystems in Australia - ResearchGate

Preview of A review of water quality studies relevant to northern Australia - CSIRO, accessed July 21, 2025,

A review of water quality studies relevant to northern Australia - CSIRO, accessed July 21, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Salinity and water quality

Preview of About the Lake Eyre Basin - DCCEEW, accessed July 20, 2025,

About the Lake Eyre Basin - DCCEEW, accessed July 20, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

About the Lake Eyre Basin - DCCEEW, accessed July 20, 2025,

Preview of Australia's forests – overview - DAFF, accessed on May 25, 2025,

Australia's forests – overview - DAFF, accessed on May 25, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Resistance and resilience of the forest soil microbiome to logging-associated compaction

Preview of Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000) - Volume 3 - Chapter 9 - Primary Industries, accessed July 20, 2025,

Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000) - Volume 3 - Chapter 9 - Primary Industries, accessed July 20, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000) - Volume 3 - Chapter 9 - Primary Industries

Preview of Australian Native Forests and Water IFA Forestry Policy Statement 5.1, accessed August 10, 2025,

Australian Native Forests and Water IFA Forestry Policy Statement 5.1, accessed August 10, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Desktop review – Impact of bushfires on water quality

Preview of Conductivity, TDS, Salinity, Resistivity - apera instruments, accessed July 20, 2025,

Conductivity, TDS, Salinity, Resistivity - apera instruments, accessed July 20, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Geological Control upon Groundwater Flow and Major Ion Chemistry with Influence on Basin Management in a Coastal Aquifer, South Australia - Scientific Research Publishing, accessed July 27, 2025

Preview of Ecological condition of central Australian arid-zone rivers - PubMed, accessed July 21, 2025

Ecological condition of central Australian arid-zone rivers - PubMed, accessed July 21, 2025

Contextual Support Journal

Ecological condition of central Australian arid-zone rivers - PubMed

Preview of ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT - Forestry Australia, accessed August 10, 2025,

ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT - Forestry Australia, accessed August 10, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

www.forestry.org.au

Preview of Forests and Water - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, accessed July 20, 2025,

Forests and Water - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, accessed July 20, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Forests and Water - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, accessed July 20, 2025,

Preview of Inland waters - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 20, 2025

Inland waters - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 20, 2025

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Resilience of floodplain ecosystems in a semi-arid environment - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 20, 2025,

Jonathan MARSHALL | Queensland Government, Brisbane | Department of Environment and Science | Research profile - ResearchGate, accessed July 20, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Jonathan MARSHALL | Queensland Government, Brisbane | Department of Environment and Science | Research profile - ResearchGate, accessed July 20, 2025,

Preview of Measuring salinity - Department of Environment, Water and Natural - Landscape SA, accessed July 20, 2025,

Measuring salinity - Department of Environment, Water and Natural - Landscape SA, accessed July 20, 2025,

Methodology Source Government

Measuring salinity - Department of Environment, Water and Natural - Landscape SA, accessed July 20, 2025,

Preview of Rehabilitation of disturbed land in public drinking water source areas - Government of Western Australia, accessed July 20, 2025,

Rehabilitation of disturbed land in public drinking water source areas - Government of Western Australia, accessed July 20, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Rehabilitation of disturbed land in public drinking water source areas - Government of Western Australia, accessed July 20, 2025,

Preview of Resilience of floodplain ecosystems in a semi-arid environment - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 20, 2025,

Resilience of floodplain ecosystems in a semi-arid environment - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 20, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Creating a sustainable Murray-Darling - The Nature Conservancy Australia, accessed July 20, 2025

Preview of Salinity and water quality, accessed July 20, 2025,

Salinity and water quality, accessed July 20, 2025,

Contextual Support

Salinity and water quality, accessed July 20, 2025,

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems
Land Use Production Forestry
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 3 Jun 2026

Notes

No lower critical threshold applicable. This threshold marks the onset of detrimental salinity effects on sensitive aquatic organisms. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AIF-FOR-WEC family.