Soil Water Infiltration Rate
Benchmark Value
Scoring Curve
This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.
Evidence & Context
A range of 5 - 30 mm/hr is representative for healthy loamy to clayey soils. For sandy soils, a higher range of 30 - 70 mm/hr is indicative of high function.
Soil water infiltration rate, the rate at which water enters the soil surface, measured in mm/hr.
This benchmark represents steady-state infiltration rates in loamy to clayey soils with good structure and biological activity under conservation management.
Derived from field measurements in well-managed agricultural systems and ecological principles from remnant vegetation studies.
Sources (1)
Rehabilitation of Grassy Box Woodland –A structured Review | Whitehaven Coal
View SourceSupporting Sources (37)
Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
Putting the P in Ptilotus: a phosphorus-accumulating herb native to Australia - PMC
View Source(PDF) The Extraordinary Nature of the Great Western Woodlands - ResearchGate
View SourceNavigating the Wealth of Soil Health Information & Identification of Opportunities - AUSVEG
View SourceA framework relating soil surface condition to infiltration and sediment and nutrient mobilization in grazed rangelands of northeastern Queensland, Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate
View SourceAbiotic and biotic responses to woody debris additions in restored old fields in a multi‐site Before‐After‐Control‐Impact experiment - PMC - PubMed Central
View SourceFallen logs as sources of patchiness in chenopod shrublands of South Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 26, 2025
View SourceCunningham, S. A., et al. (2014). Woodland habitat structures are affected by both agricultural land management and abiotic conditions. Landscape Ecology, 29, 1237-1249.
View SourceCase studies | Australia state of the environment 2021
View SourceCombatting non-wetting soils - GRDC
View SourceComparing infiltration rates in soils managed with conventional and alternative farming methods: A meta-analysis | PLOS One - Research journals
View SourceDesertification in Australia: Definition, Causes and Environmental Impact - Access EP
View SourceGeneral Soil Water Infiltration Rate Classification
View SourceCarbon | Australia state of the environment 2021
View SourceDRAFT Description and Listing Assessment for the Plains Mallee Box Woodland of the Murray Darling Depression and Riverina Bioregion - DCCEEW
View SourceEcosystem wicks: Woodland trees enhance water infiltration in a fragmented agricultural landscape in eastern Australia - CiteSeerX
View SourceEffect of stock removal on woodlands in the Murray Mallee and Wimmera Bioregions of Victoria - CiteSeerX
View Source1301.0 - ABS Feature Articles, 1966 - Australian Bureau of Statistics
View SourceGreat Western Woodlands - Wikipedia
View SourceImpacts of grazing by kangaroos and rabbits on vegetation and soils in a semi-arid conservation reserve | Request PDF - ResearchGate
View SourceInfluence of Land Use and Land Cover on Hydraulic and Physical Soil Properties at the Cerrado Agricultural Frontier - MDPI
View SourceMicrobiotic Soil Crusts: A Review of their Roles in Soil and Ecological Processes in the Rangelands of Australia
View SourceNVIS Fact sheet MVG 14 – Mallee woodlands and shrublands - DCCEEW, accessed August 28, 2025
View SourceSeed row placement relative to the previous crop stubble row can harness systems benefits on water repellent sands - CSIRO Publishing
View SourceFind out the Different Types of Soil in Australia - Kelly Tillage AUS
View SourceAnalysing water sensitive urban design options - Australian Water Association
View SourceSoil Constraints in an Arid Environment—Challenges, Prospects, and Implications - MDPI
View SourceHow does building healthy soils impact sustainable use of water resources in irrigated agriculture? | Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene | University of California Press
View SourceSoil Water Repellence - Soil Quality Knowledge Base
View SourceSoil Constraints in an Arid Environment—Challenges, Prospects, and Implications - MDPI
View SourceThe effect of trees on preferential flow and soil infiltrability in an agroforestry parkland in semiarid Burkina Faso - PubMed Central
View SourceThe Lasting Effects of Overgrazing on Rangeland Ecosystems - SDSU Extension
View SourceThe relationships between land management practices and soil condition and the quality of ecosystem services delivered from agri - DAFF
View SourceView of Efficacy of the Ecosystem Services Approach in Transitioning to Regenerative Agriculture in Australia | Reinvention, accessed July 27, 2025,
View SourceThe temperate continental distribution of the Major Vegetation Group... | Download Scientific Diagram - ResearchGate, accessed July 10, 2025
View SourceTraffic and residue cover effects on infiltration - CSIRO PUBLISHING | Soil Research
View SourceRegenerative agriculture in Australia: the changing face of farming - Frontiers, accessed July 16, 2025,
View SourceWoodlands - DCCEEW, accessed August 4, 2025,
View Source