Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TDG-FOR-WEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

280 μS/cm

Direction: Lower is desirable ↓

Form: UpperThreshold

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.

Evidence & Context

significant declines in the relative abundance of sensitive species can occur at EC levels around 280 0003μS/cm.

Metric Definition:

Electrical Conductivity (EC) is a measure of the total concentration of dissolved salts (ions) in water.

Benchmark Definition:

Early warning threshold for impacts on sensitive aquatic biota.

Justification:

Studies on South Australian stream diatoms indicate significant declines in relative abundance at this level.

Sources (1)

ANZECC & ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines - Water Quality Australia, accessed August 12, 2025 Government

ANZECC & ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines - Water Quality Australia

View Source

Supporting Sources (26)

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,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

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

View Source

Preview of (PDF) From fresh to saline: a comparison of zooplankton and plant communities developing under a gradient of salinity with communities developing under constant salinity levels - ResearchGate, accessed May 15, 2025,

(PDF) From fresh to saline: a comparison of zooplankton and plant communities developing under a gradient of salinity with communities developing under constant salinity levels - ResearchGate, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Salinity is not necessarily bad for biodiversity: case studies of invertebrates from South Australian streams and River Murray wetlands

View Source

AUSTRALASIAN Temperate Dry Sclerophyll Forest & Woodlands (south-west), accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Box Ironbark Forest - Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority

View Source

Australia's State of the Forests Report 2008, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Australia's State of the Forests Report 2018 – Criterion 4 - DAFF

View Source

Australia's State of the Forests Report 2018 13 Criterion 4 - DAFF, accessed August 1, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Temperate forests and soils [Chapter 6]

View Source

Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality, accessed August 2, 2025,

Direct Evidence

ANZECC & ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines - Water Quality Australia

View Source

Box Ironbark Forest - Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Forests, fire and vegetation change impacts on Murray-Darling basin water resources

View Source

communities.unep.org, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support Irrelevant

The impact of nitrate pollution in waterways on freshwater species

View Source

Preview of Diatom–water quality thresholds in South Australian streams indicate a need for more stringent water quality guidelines - CSIRO PUBLISHING | Marine and Freshwater Research, accessed May 15, 2025,

Diatom–water quality thresholds in South Australian streams indicate a need for more stringent water quality guidelines - CSIRO PUBLISHING | Marine and Freshwater Research, accessed May 15, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

Diatom–water quality thresholds in South Australian streams indicate a need for more stringent water quality guidelines - CSIRO PUBLISHING | Marine and Freshwater Research

View Source

Preview of Diatom–water quality thresholds in South Australian streams indicate a need for more stringent water quality guidelines | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed May 11, 2025,

Diatom–water quality thresholds in South Australian streams indicate a need for more stringent water quality guidelines | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed May 11, 2025,

Cross Reference Direct Evidence GreyLiterature

Validating species sensitivity distributions using salinity tolerance of riverine macroinvertebrates in the southern Murray–Darling Basin (Victoria, Australia) - Canadian Science Publishing

View Source

Eastern Australian temperate forests | EBSCO Research Starters, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Eastern Australian temperate forests | EBSCO Research Starters

View Source

Preview of Ecology of streams in a biogeographic isolate—the Queensland Wet Tropics, Australia | Freshwater Science: Vol 34, No 2, accessed July 22, 2025,

Ecology of streams in a biogeographic isolate—the Queensland Wet Tropics, Australia | Freshwater Science: Vol 34, No 2, accessed July 22, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZECC/ARMCANZ)

View Source

Electrical studies of the Australian lithosphere - Marine EM Laboratory, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Electrical studies of the Australian lithosphere - Marine EM Laboratory, accessed May 15, 2025,

View Source

Forests, fire and vegetation change impacts on Murray-Darling basin water resources, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support

Australia's State of the Forests Report 2008

View Source

How can forestland owners provide the nation with clean drinking water?, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Impacts of Wildfire Severity on Hydraulic Conductivity in Forest, Woodland, and Grassland Soils

View Source

Impacts of Wildfire Severity on Hydraulic Conductivity in Forest, Woodland, and Grassland Soils, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support

Hydraulic conductivity in forest, woodland and grassland soils in Australia and the effects of fire

View Source

Namoi River Water Quality Objectives explained - NSW Government, accessed August 11, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Percentage compliance with ANZECC water quality trigger values for aquatic ecosystems, primary contact recreation and secondary

View Source

Salinity | Murray–Darling Basin Authority, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Electrical studies of the Australian lithosphere - Marine EM Laboratory

View Source

Preview of Salinity is not necessarily bad for biodiversity: case studies of invertebrates from South Australian streams and River Murray wetlands, accessed May 15, 2025,

Salinity is not necessarily bad for biodiversity: case studies of invertebrates from South Australian streams and River Murray wetlands, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Indicators: Conductivity | US EPA, accessed July 13, 2025

View Source

The effects of forest management on water quality | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Plantations in public drinking water source areas - Government of ..., accessed July 31, 2025,

View Source

Using the ANZECC Guidelines and Water Quality Objectives in NSW, accessed August 11, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Reference-site data - Water Quality Australia

View Source

Water quality guidelines - Queensland Environment Department, accessed August 1, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000)

View Source

Water quality of surface water environments - NSW Government Water, accessed August 1, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

National Guidelines for Water Quality | Department of Natural ...

View Source

Woodlands - DCCEEW, accessed August 5, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Woodlands - DCCEEW, accessed August 4, 2025,

View Source

www.epa.nsw.gov.au, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Australia's State of the Forests Report - updated indicators - DAFF

View Source

www.nrc.nsw.gov.au, accessed May 15, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

www.nrc.nsw.gov.au, accessed May 15, 2025,

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Dry Woodlands & Native Grasslands
Land Use Production Forestry
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 31 May 2026

Notes

Upper Detrimental Threshold: 280 00μS/cm. Consistently exceeding this level would likely signify a departure from optimal conditions. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

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