Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TMS-AGR-WEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

200 µS/cm

Thresholds: Lower: 10, Upper: —

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

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

Sustained EC levels (e.g., annual median or persistent dry season baseflow) exceeding 200 μS/cm should be considered indicative of potential detriment or a significant departure from high ecological health in many tropical savanna stream contexts, particularly those not naturally influenced by significant saline groundwater sources.

Metric Definition:

Lower bound of sustained EC levels above which ecological health is potentially compromised.

Benchmark Definition:

Threshold EC level above which ecological health is at risk in tropical monsoonal savanna agricultural landscapes.

Justification:

Based on biological indicators, regional guidelines, and agricultural salinity concerns.

Sources (2)

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,

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

View Source

Preview of environment.nt.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,

environment.nt.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025, Journal

Water Quality objectives for the region - Department of Lands, Planning and Environment

View Source

Supporting Sources (17)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

(PDF) Towards understanding the impacts of land management on ..., accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support

(PDF) Towards understanding the impacts of land management on productivity in the Daly River - ResearchGate, accessed July 24, 2025,

View Source

A longitudinal survey of the water quality of the Katherine and Daly Rivers, May/June 2016, accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support

A longitudinal survey of the water quality of the Katherine and Daly Rivers, May/June 2016, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source

Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000) - Consultas Ciudadanas, accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support Regulatory Framework Journal

Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000) - Consultas Ciudadanas, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source

Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000), accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support Regulatory Framework Journal

Northern Territory Government (2020) Darwin Harbour Region Water Quality Objectives, Report Card Section 3.0.

View Source

Deriving guideline values using field-effects data - Water Quality Australia, accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support

Deriving guideline values using field-effects data - Water Quality Australia, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source

DRYLAND SALINITY IN AUSTRALIA—Summary - Inside Cotton, accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

DRYLAND SALINITY IN AUSTRALIA—Summary - Inside Cotton, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source

Food, Climate & Regenerative Farming FAQ - The Nature Conservancy, accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support

Food, Climate & Regenerative Farming FAQ - The Nature Conservancy

View Source

Preview of Gross primary productivity and water use efficiency are increasing in a high rainfall tropical savanna - PubMed Central, accessed May 11, 2025,

Gross primary productivity and water use efficiency are increasing in a high rainfall tropical savanna - PubMed Central, accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support

Gross primary productivity and water use efficiency are increasing in a high rainfall tropical savanna - PubMed Central, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source

Regenerative agriculture in Australia: the changing face of farming - Frontiers, accessed August 4, 2025

Contextual Support Journal

NCC: Regenerative Agriculture and Soil Health - Wet Tropics Plan, accessed July 27, 2025,

View Source

Preview of Retrieving understorey dynamics in the Australian tropical savannah from time series decomposition and linear unmixing of MODIS data | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed May 11, 2025,

Retrieving understorey dynamics in the Australian tropical savannah from time series decomposition and linear unmixing of MODIS data | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support

Retrieving understorey dynamics in the Australian tropical savannah from time series decomposition and linear unmixing of MODIS data | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source

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

Contextual Support Government

Basin Plan water quality targets; Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZG 2018/ANZECC 2000); Australia State of the Environment 2021: Inland water

View Source

SSR179 - Baseline suspended-sediment, solute, EC ... - DCCEEW, accessed May 11, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

SSR179 - Baseline suspended-sediment, solute, EC ... - DCCEEW, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source

Stream Baseflows in the Daly Basin - CiteSeerX, accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support Direct Evidence

Stream Baseflows in the Daly Basin - CiteSeerX, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source

Surface water chemistry monitoring protocol to assess impacts from the Ranger Mine (DOCX 1.7 MB) - DCCEEW, accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support Methodology Source

Surface water chemistry monitoring protocol to assess impacts from the Ranger Mine (DOCX 1.7 MB) - DCCEEW, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source

Preview of Understanding the Impact of Intensive Horticulture Land-Use Practices on Surface Water Quality in Central Kenya - ResearchGate, accessed May 11, 2025,

Understanding the Impact of Intensive Horticulture Land-Use Practices on Surface Water Quality in Central Kenya - ResearchGate, accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support Cross Reference

Understanding the Impact of Intensive Horticulture Land-Use Practices on Surface Water Quality in Central Kenya - ResearchGate, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source

Water quality | Australia state of the environment 2021, accessed August 11, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Drivers of water quality in Afromontane-savanna rivers - Frontiers

View Source

Water resource assessment for the Roper catchment. A ... - CSIRO, accessed May 11, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Water resource assessment for the Roper catchment. A ... - CSIRO, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical Monsoonal Savannas
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Agricultural Biodiversity Target
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 15 Mar 2026

Notes

Represents a gradient of increasing ecological risk with sustained EC above this level. ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-23 00:09 UTC: LowerThreshold 200 → (check: MinEqualsMax, rationale: The Notes indicate that EC above 200 µS/cm is detrimental, which is an upper threshold, not a lower threshold. Since a MaximumOnly benchmark with UpperThreshold=200 already exists, we cannot create a duplicate MaximumOnly. Removing the LowerThreshold from the MinimumOnly benchmark resolves the zero-width range contradiction.) ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-23 00:09 UTC: LowerThreshold 200 → 10 (check: MinAboveOptimalHigh, rationale: The Notes indicate that sustained EC above 200 µS/cm is harmful, so the threshold of 200 is an upper limit and should be a MaximumOnly threshold. Since a MaximumOnly at 200 already exists, we adjust the MinimumOnly LowerThreshold to 10 (OptimalRangeLow) to represent a lower floor below the optimal range, resolving the contradiction.)

Related Benchmarks

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