Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-AKW-IND-WEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 4600 to 6500 µS/cm

Optimal Range: 4600 to 6500

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

Evidence & Context

The recommended reference value is the observed range of 4,600 - 6,500 µS/cm.

Metric Definition:

Water Electrical Conductivity (EC) representing the best available ecological condition for industrial and infrastructure land use within Australia's Arid Karstic Woodlands & Shrublands biome.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the optimal range of water electrical conductivity (EC) in groundwater for industrial land use in Australia's Arid Karstic Woodlands & Shrublands biome, representing a well-managed, minimally impacted natural baseline condition.

Justification:

Derived from monitoring data at an up-gradient bore that reflects the natural, brackish baseline quality of the local aquifer, successfully shielded from operational impacts.

Sources (1)

Tropicana Gold Project, Annual Compliance Assessment Report, Ministerial Statement No. 839 (24 September 2021 – 23 September 2022) Journal

Tropicana Gold Project, Annual Compliance Assessment Report, Ministerial Statement No. 839 (24 September 2021 – 23 September 2022)

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Supporting Sources (4)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

CSIRO Research Publications Repository, accessed July 26, 2025

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

CSIRO review of stygofauna ecology

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Pilbara stygofauna biological survey

Contextual Support Journal

Pilbara stygofauna biological survey

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Western Australian Museum, accessed July 26, 2025

Contextual Support

Pilbara stygofauna: deep groundwater of an arid landscape contains globally significant radiation of biodiversity - Western Australian Museum

View Source

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN WATER QUALITY GUIDELINES FOR FRESH AND MARINE WATERS - DBCA Library, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN WATER QUALITY ... - DBCA Library, accessed July 25, 2025,

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Karstic Woodlands & Shrublands
Land Use Industrial & Infrastructure Use
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 4 Jun 2026

Notes

This benchmark represents the observed electrical conductivity (EC) range in an up-gradient, minimally impacted groundwater monitoring bore (ENVMB004) at a major, well-regulated gold mine in an arid karst environment. It exemplifies a best-practice condition where industrial operations successfully prevent degradation of the local, naturally brackish groundwater baseline. The key ecological receptors in this biome are highly endemic and salinity-sensitive subterranean fauna (stygofauna). The optimal range is the site-specific natural baseline; therefore, this benchmark of 4,600 - 6,500 µS/cm represents the optimal condition for this specific industrial context. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AKW-IND-WEC family.