Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-AIF-CON-WEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

300 μS/cm
Thresholds: Lower: —, Upper: 300
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: UpperThreshold

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 MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard UpperThreshold Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard LowerThreshold Guard MinimumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

There is no evidence to support a lower critical threshold for EC. Instead, values < 300 ³S/cm represent a state of peak ecological opportunity and health in this biome.

Metric Definition:

Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark indicates that water electrical conductivity values below 300 μS/cm represent peak ecological health and opportunity in the arid inland floodplains biome.

Justification:

Biological evidence reinforces this understanding. Studies of freshwater macroinvertebrate communities show that species richness is highest at the lowest salinities.

Sources (1)

Preview of Water and sediment quality in the Diamantina-Georgina River catchment, Lake Eyre Basin
Water and sediment quality in the Diamantina-Georgina River catchment, Lake Eyre Basin Journal

Water quality in the Georgina-Diamantina River catchment

View Source

Supporting Sources (3)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of (PDF) Water quality in two Australian dryland rivers: spatial and temporal variability and the role of flow - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,
(PDF) Water quality in two Australian dryland rivers: spatial and temporal variability and the role of flow - ResearchGate, accessed July 30, 2025,
Direct Evidence

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

View Source
Preview of Salinity - Murray–Darling Basin Authority, accessed August 11, 2025,
Salinity - Murray–Darling Basin Authority, accessed August 11, 2025,
Direct Evidence Government

Basin Plan water quality targets; Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZG 2018/ANZECC 2000); Australia State of the Environment 2021: Inland water

View Source
Preview of Validating species sensitivity distributions using salinity tolerance of riverine macroinvertebrates in the southern MurrayDarling Basin (Victoria, Australia) - Canadian Science Publishing
Validating species sensitivity distributions using salinity tolerance of riverine macroinvertebrates in the southern MurrayDarling Basin (Victoria, Australia) - Canadian Science Publishing
Direct Evidence Journal

Validating species sensitivity distributions using salinity tolerance of riverine macroinvertebrates in the southern MurrayDarling Basin (Victoria, Australia) - Canadian Science Publishing

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems
  • Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 25 Mar 2026

Notes

The lowest EC values (< 300 μS/cm) during floods represent peak ecological health.

Related Benchmarks

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

800 μS/cm High
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Pristine Reference
MaximumOnly Active v1
1500 μS/cm Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Pristine Reference
MinimumOnly Active v1