Soil Water Infiltration Rate

AUS-AIF-CON-SWI General High confidence

Benchmark Value

5 mm/hr

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: MinimumOnly

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 6 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 5 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

A rate below 5 mm/hr is critically low, indicating a dysfunctional, water-shedding landscape with high runoff and erosion potential.

Metric Definition:

Soil water infiltration rate below which the ecosystem function is critically impaired, leading to increased runoff and erosion.

Benchmark Definition:

This lower critical threshold defines the minimum infiltration rate necessary to maintain ecosystem function and prevent degradation in Australian arid inland floodplains and ephemeral river systems under conservation management.

Justification:

Based on evidence from degraded sites showing infiltration capacities as low as 0.1-10 mm/hr in bare, crusted soils and cracking clays, a threshold of 5 mm/hr is set as critically low.

Sources (2)

Preview of Do shrubs reduce the adverse effects of grazing on soil properties? - ResearchGate

Do shrubs reduce the adverse effects of grazing on soil properties? - ResearchGate

General Soil Water Infiltration Rate Classification

Preview of Inherent Factors Affecting Soil Infiltration

Inherent Factors Affecting Soil Infiltration Journal

Appendix H - Water Infiltration Modelling - NTEPA

Supporting Sources (15)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of (PDF) Influence of cracking clays on satellite estimated and model simulated soil moisture, accessed July 21, 2025,

(PDF) Influence of cracking clays on satellite estimated and model simulated soil moisture, accessed July 21, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

(PDF) Influence of cracking clays on satellite estimated and model simulated soil moisture, accessed July 21, 2025,

Preview of Floodplain inundation mapping and modelling – Accessible text - CSIRO, accessed July 21, 2025,

Floodplain inundation mapping and modelling – Accessible text - CSIRO, accessed July 21, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Floodplain inundation mapping and modelling – Accessible text - CSIRO, accessed July 21, 2025,

Preview of Infiltration rates and soil moisture in a groved mulga community near Alice Springs, arid central Australia: Evidence for complex internal rainwater redistribution in a runoff-runon landscape | Request PDF - ResearchGate

Infiltration rates and soil moisture in a groved mulga community near Alice Springs, arid central Australia: Evidence for complex internal rainwater redistribution in a runoff-runon landscape | Request PDF - ResearchGate

Direct Evidence GreyLiterature

Effects of soil degradation on infiltration rates in grazed semiarid rangelands of northeastern Patagonia, Argentina - Project Bedrock

Preview of Managing soils - Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, accessed July 21, 2025,

Managing soils - Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, accessed July 21, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Gilgai wetlands - WetlandInfo

Preview of Menindee Lakes - WaterNSW, accessed July 21, 2025,

Menindee Lakes - WaterNSW, accessed July 21, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Menindee Lakes - WaterNSW, accessed July 21, 2025,

Preview of National Guidance on Acid Sulfate Soils - Water Quality Australia

National Guidance on Acid Sulfate Soils - Water Quality Australia

Contextual Support Journal

Managing soils - Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, accessed July 17, 2025

Preview of Soil Infiltration Properties Are Affected by Typical Plant Communities in a Semi-Arid Desert Grassland in China - MDPI

Soil Infiltration Properties Are Affected by Typical Plant Communities in a Semi-Arid Desert Grassland in China - MDPI

Contextual Support Journal

How does building healthy soils impact sustainable use of water resources in irrigated agriculture? | Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene | University of California Press

Preview of Soils and carbon for reduced emissions - Agriculture Victoria, accessed July 6, 2025,

Soils and carbon for reduced emissions - Agriculture Victoria, accessed July 6, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Soils and carbon for reduced emissions - Agriculture Victoria, accessed July 26, 2025

Preview of Soils and land suitability for the Victoria catchment ... - CSIRO, accessed May 15, 2025,

Soils and land suitability for the Victoria catchment ... - CSIRO, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

A New Soil Conservation Methodology and Application to Cropping Systems in Tropical Steeplands - Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, accessed May 11, 2025

Preview of Soils and land suitability for the Victoria catchment, Northern Territory - CSIRO, accessed July 21, 2025,

Soils and land suitability for the Victoria catchment, Northern Territory - CSIRO, accessed July 21, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Soils and land suitability for the Victoria catchment, Northern Territory - CSIRO, accessed July 21, 2025,

Preview of The dirt on our soils - Curious - Australian Academy of Science, accessed July 13, 2025

The dirt on our soils - Curious - Australian Academy of Science, accessed July 13, 2025

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

The dirt on our soils - Curious - Australian Academy of Science

Preview of Thresholds in Ecological and Social–Ecological Systems: a Developing Database, accessed July 21, 2025,

Thresholds in Ecological and Social–Ecological Systems: a Developing Database, accessed July 21, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Thresholds in Ecological and Social–Ecological Systems: a Developing Database, accessed July 21, 2025,

Preview of Understanding Soil Infiltration - Ideal Geotech, accessed July 6, 2025,

Understanding Soil Infiltration - Ideal Geotech, accessed July 6, 2025,

Direct Evidence GreyLiterature

National Soil Strategy

Preview of Understanding the properties of South Australian agricultural soils.1 - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 22, 2025,

Understanding the properties of South Australian agricultural soils.1 - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 22, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Understanding the properties of South Australian agricultural soils.1 - Department for Environment and Water, accessed July 22, 2025

Preview of Water Infiltration Rates into Unponded and Ponded Soils in Central ..., accessed July 21, 2025,

Water Infiltration Rates into Unponded and Ponded Soils in Central ..., accessed July 21, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Water Infiltration Rates into Unponded and Ponded Soils in Central ..., accessed July 21, 2025,

Context

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

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 7 Jun 2026

Notes

No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. Below this threshold, the landscape loses its ability to capture and store water, leading to accelerated erosion and desertification.

Related Benchmarks

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