Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-AMR-LVG-WEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Thresholds: Lower: —, Upper: 1500

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 9 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 8 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

Broad-scale adverse effects on aquatic biota begin to occur as salinity exceeds 1,000 mg/L TDS, which corresponds to an EC of approximately 1,500 µS/cm.

Metric Definition:

Water Electrical Conductivity (EC) threshold for adverse effects on aquatic biota

Benchmark Definition:

An EC threshold of 1,500 µS/cm marks the onset of broad-scale adverse effects on aquatic biota in arid upland freshwater systems, indicating potential ecological stress.

Justification:

This value represents a point at which broad-scale stress across multiple taxonomic groups can be expected, leading to changes in community composition and a decline in biodiversity.

Sources (1)

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

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

View Source

Supporting Sources (4)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

ANZECC & ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines - Water Quality Australia, accessed August 12, 2025

Contextual Support Government

ANZECC & ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines - Water Quality Australia

View Source

Preview of Variation of water quality parameters with location in the two known habitats of Mogurnda clivicola (Flinders Ranges Mogurnda) and the implications for the ongoing viability of those habitats

Variation of water quality parameters with location in the two known habitats of Mogurnda clivicola (Flinders Ranges Mogurnda) and the implications for the ongoing viability of those habitats

Contextual Support Journal

Variation of water quality parameters with location in the two known habitats of Mogurnda clivicola (Flinders Ranges Mogurnda) and the implications for the ongoing viability of those habitats

View Source

Water Quality and the Grazing Animal - UNL Digital Commons, accessed July 25, 2025

Contextual Support

Water Quality and the Grazing Animal - UNL Digital Commons

View Source

Water quality for livestock, accessed July 29, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Top 10 Strategies for Efficient Water Management on Your Farm - SONIC Natural Farming, accessed July 19, 2025,

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 24 Mar 2026

Notes

This threshold is distinct from the higher tolerances of a few highly adapted species or livestock and serves as a critical upper boundary for management aiming to protect overall aquatic biodiversity. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always worse beyond this point. ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-24 20:06 UTC: BenchmarkValue 1500 → (check: MinAbovePointValue, rationale: BenchmarkValue should be cleared or ignored as the threshold is now in UpperThreshold.) ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-24 20:06 UTC: UpperThreshold → 1500 (check: MinAbovePointValue, rationale: Moving the threshold value to UpperThreshold aligns with the Notes indicating an upper boundary for degradation. This will auto-correct the form from MinimumOnly to MaximumOnly, resolving the contradiction.) [Auto-corrected BenchmarkForm: MinimumOnly → MaximumOnly] ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-24 20:07 UTC: LowerThreshold → (check: MinAbovePointValue, rationale: Clear LowerThreshold is null and remains so.) ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-24 20:07 UTC: LowerThreshold → (check: MinAbovePointValue, rationale: Clear LowerThreshold is null and remains so.)

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AMR-LVG-WEC family.