Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TMI-AGR-WEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 0 to 650 µS/cm

Optimal Range: 0 to 650

Direction: Lower is desirable ↓

Form: OptimalRange

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 3 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 2 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

The optimal range for maintaining high ecological and agricultural health is from natural background levels (< 100 µS/cm) up to a maximum of 650 µS/cm.

Metric Definition:

Water Electrical Conductivity (EC) in surface waters of tropical maritime island agroecosystems.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the optimal functional range of water electrical conductivity for sustainable agricultural crop production in Australia's Tropical & Subtropical Maritime Islands biome, balancing ecological and agricultural health.

Justification:

Synthesized from natural background levels and agronomic thresholds indicating onset of salinity management needs.

Sources (2)

Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZG) Journal

Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water ...

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VOLUME 1 WATER RESOURCES OF THE TIWI ... - Tiwi Land Council Government

VOLUME 1 WATER RESOURCES OF THE TIWI ... - Tiwi Land Council

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Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of A Compendium of Ecological Information on Australia's Northern Tropical Rivers - Report 5 - Water quality - DCCEEW, accessed August 1, 2025,

A Compendium of Ecological Information on Australia's Northern Tropical Rivers - Report 5 - Water quality - DCCEEW, accessed August 1, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis and change points (dots) for the ...

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Preview of Proserpine River, Whitsunday Island and O'Connell River Basins Environmental Values and Water Quality Objectives - Queensland Environment Department, accessed August 2, 2025,

Proserpine River, Whitsunday Island and O'Connell River Basins Environmental Values and Water Quality Objectives - Queensland Environment Department, accessed August 2, 2025,

Regulatory Framework Journal

Bioregional Assessment of the Clarence-Moreton bioregion, which includes the Richmond River basin

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical & Subtropical Maritime Islands
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Agricultural Biodiversity Target
Evidence Type HealthyOperationalRange

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 10 Jun 2026

Notes

Values closer to natural background (< 100 µS/cm) indicate higher ecosystem health; upper limit set to avoid agronomic stress.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TMI-AGR-WEC family.