Water Turbidity

AUS-TSW-CON-WTU General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 0 to 10 NTU

Optimal Range: 0 to 10

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 11 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 10 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

Considering these convergent lines of evidence, the optimal range for water turbidity in protected temperate semi-arid riverine systems is < 10 NTU.

Metric Definition:

Turbidity is an optical measure of water clarity, quantifying the degree to which light is scattered and absorbed by suspended and dissolved materials.

Benchmark Definition:

The range that supports the highest levels of biodiversity and ecological function, particularly for the most sensitive species and life stages.

Justification:

This range ensures that there is minimal physiological stress on the most sensitive fauna, allows for unimpeded primary production by benthic algae and macrophytes, and reflects the achievable water quality in a well-managed, high-health conservation landscape.

Sources (1)

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ACT Waterwatch. (2023). Catchment Health Indicator Program Report 2023.

Supporting Sources (51)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

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(PDF) Lowland Rivers: An Australian Introduction - ResearchGate, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Natural water systems | Australia state of the environment 2021, accessed July 16, 2025

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(PDF) Rivers in Australia - ResearchGate, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support

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(PDF) The macroinvertebrate fauna of an Australian dryland river: spatial and temporal patterns and environmental relationships - ResearchGate, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support

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Contextual Support Journal

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Contextual Support Journal

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Characterising the relationship between water quality and water quantity, accessed August 5, 2025

Contextual Support Journal

Turbidity | Australia state of the environment 2021

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Contextual Support Government

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Contextual Support Government

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Contextual Support Government

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Contextual Support Government

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Contextual Support Methodology Source Government

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Determining Tipping Points and Responses of Macroinvertebrate Traits to Abiotic Factors in Support of River Management - PubMed Central, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Direct Evidence Journal

Determining Tipping Points and Responses of Macroinvertebrate Traits to Abiotic Factors in Support of River Management. Water, 15(8), 1589.

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Contextual Support Journal

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Contextual Support

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Effects of common carp on water quality and submerged vegetation: results from a short-term mesocosm experiment in an artificial wetland - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Effects of common carp on water quality and submerged vegetation: results from a short-term mesocosm experiment in an artificial wetland - CSIRO Publishing

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Effects of Sedimentation and Turbidity on Lotic Food Webs: A Concise Review for Natural Resource Managers - ResearchGate, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support

The Natural Sediment Regime in Rivers: Broadening the Foundation for Ecosystem Management - ResearchGate

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Effects of Sedimentation and Turbidity on Lotic Food Webs: A Concise Review for Natural Resource Managers - Southern Research Station, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Effects of Sedimentation and Turbidity on Lotic Food Webs: A Concise Review for Natural Resource Managers - Southern Research Station, accessed August 17, 2025

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Contextual Support Journal

Effects of turbidity on the feeding ability of the juvenile migrant stage of six New Zealand freshwater fish species, accessed July 16, 2025

Preview of Effects of turbidity on the feeding ability of the juvenile migrant stage of six New Zealand freshwater fish species, accessed July 16, 2025,

Effects of turbidity on the feeding ability of the juvenile migrant stage of six New Zealand freshwater fish species, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Direct Evidence Journal

Effects of turbidity on the feeding ability of the juvenile migrant stage of six New Zealand freshwater fish species

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Fine Sediment Intrusion and its Consequences for River Ecosystems: A Review | Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste | Vol 27, No 1 - ASCE Library, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Fine Sediment Intrusion and its Consequences for River Ecosystems: A Review | Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste | Vol 27, No 1 - ASCE Library, accessed July 16, 2025,

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Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin, accessed July 16, 2025

Preview of From Mountain Ranges to Sweeping Plains, in Droughts and Flooding Rains; River Murray Water Quality over the Last Four Decades - The Australian National University, accessed July 16, 2025,

From Mountain Ranges to Sweeping Plains, in Droughts and Flooding Rains; River Murray Water Quality over the Last Four Decades - The Australian National University, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

From Mountain Ranges to Sweeping Plains, in Droughts and Flooding Rains; River Murray Water Quality over the Last Four Decades - The Australian National University, accessed July 16, 2025,

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Goodradigbee River - Wikipedia, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

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Preview of Great Western Woodlands - Wikipedia, accessed July 10, 2025,

Great Western Woodlands - Wikipedia, accessed July 10, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

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Influence of salinity on light conditions and phytoplankton growth in a turbid river, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Methodology Source Journal

Effects of Sedimentation and Turbidity on Lotic Food Webs: A Concise Review for Natural Resource Managers - ResearchGate, accessed July 16, 2025

Preview of Kosciuszko National Park water quality monitoring, accessed August 12, 2025,

Kosciuszko National Park water quality monitoring, accessed August 12, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

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Macroinvertebrate community responses to river impoundment at multiple spatial scales | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support

Determining Tipping Points and Responses of Macroinvertebrate Traits to Abiotic Factors in Support of River Management - PubMed Central, accessed July 16, 2025

Preview of Maps, data and dashboard - DCCEEW, accessed July 16, 2025,

Maps, data and dashboard - DCCEEW, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) - DCCEEW, accessed July 16, 2025

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Multi-decadal trends in large-bodied fish populations in the New South Wales Murray 6Darling Basin, Australia - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Multi-decadal trends in large-bodied fish populations in the New South Wales Murray–Darling Basin, Australia - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 16, 2025

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National Guidelines for Water Quality - Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, accessed August 1, 2025,

Contextual Support

Using the ANZECC Guidelines and Water Quality Objectives in NSW

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Contextual Support Government

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NVIS Fact sheet MVG 14 – Mallee woodlands and shrublands - DCCEEW, accessed July 15, 2025

Contextual Support Journal

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Contextual Support Journal

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Contextual Support Government

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Contextual Support GreyLiterature

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Contextual Support Government

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Contextual Support Government

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Contextual Support GreyLiterature

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Contextual Support Journal

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Contextual Support GreyLiterature

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The effects of turbidity, prey density and environmental complexity on the feeding of juvenile Murray cod Maccullochella peelii | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support

The effects of turbidity, prey density and environmental complexity on the feeding of juvenile Murray cod Maccullochella peelii | Request PDF - ResearchGate

Preview of The Goodradigbee River and key sites. - ResearchGate, accessed July 16, 2025,

The Goodradigbee River and key sites. - ResearchGate, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Catchment Health Indicator Program Report (CHIP) 2022 - Upper ..., accessed July 16, 2025

Preview of The impact of fine sediment accumulation on benthic macroinvertebrates: implications for river management - ResearchGate, accessed July 16, 2025,

The impact of fine sediment accumulation on benthic macroinvertebrates: implications for river management - ResearchGate, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

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Turbidity | River Detectives, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Kosciuszko National Park's health a mixed diagnosis in first EcoHealth Scorecard

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Turbidity along the Murrumbidgee River | Download Scientific Diagram - ResearchGate, accessed July 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Direct Evidence Journal

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Contextual Support Regulatory Framework Government

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Contextual Support Government

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Contextual Support Government

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Contextual Support Government

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Contextual Support Journal

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Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Semi-Arid Shrublands & Open Woodlands
Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 30 May 2026

Notes

No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. A slightly broader range of up to 15 NTU may be considered acceptable ("Good" condition) but represents a departure from the optimal state.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TSW-CON-WTU family.