Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TSW-FOR-WEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 30 to 350 µS/cm

Optimal Range: 30 to 350

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

Evidence & Context

The Tasmanian Government, applying these national principles, has published default trigger values that define a reference range for EC in Upland Rivers of 30–350 µS/cm.

Metric Definition:

Water Electrical Conductivity (EC) in upland rivers representing best available condition in production forestry catchments.

Benchmark Definition:

Reference range for water electrical conductivity in upland rivers under sustainable production forestry.

Justification:

This range is based on national guidelines and monitoring data from minimally disturbed upland catchments, serving as a proxy for best available condition.

Sources (1)

Gardens and Public Open Space Irrigation: A Case Study in Perth - Scientific Research Publishing

National Guidelines for Water Quality - Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania

View Source

Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

(PDF) Effects of increasing salinity on freshwater ecosystems in Australia - ResearchGate, accessed August 11, 2025,

Direct Evidence GreyLiterature

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

View Source

Salinity - Murray–Darling Basin Authority, accessed August 11, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Salinity | Murray–Darling Basin Authority

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Semi-Arid Shrublands & Open Woodlands
Land Use Production Forestry
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 9 Jun 2026

Notes

The range 30–350 µS/cm reflects the highest quality water in minimally disturbed forested catchments in south-eastern Australia. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TSW-FOR-WEC family.