Water Nitrate

AUS-ASC-LVG-WNI General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

0.015 mg/L

Range: — to 0.015 mg/L

Thresholds: Lower: —, Upper: 0.1

Optimal Range: — to 0.015

Direction: Lower is desirable ↓

Form: MaximumOnly

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 10 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 9 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

The reference benchmark for Water Nitrate, representing the "best available condition" and "high environmental health" in Australian alpine and subalpine livestock grazing systems, is proposed as <0.015 mg/L (expressed as NOx-N).

Metric Definition:

Water nitrate concentration expressed as Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx-N), predominantly nitrate-N in oxygenated waters.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the maximum water nitrate concentration indicating the best available condition and high environmental health in Australian alpine and subalpine grazing systems.

Justification:

Derived from the Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZECC & ARMCANZ 2000) for slightly to moderately disturbed upland rivers, supported by analogous international data and regional guidelines.

Sources (1)

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

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

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

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Alpine and Subalpine Complex
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 16 Mar 2026

Notes

This benchmark represents a stringent trigger value indicating minimal nutrient pollution and high ecological health. Values persistently above 0.015 mg/L indicate increasing ecological risk. The optimal range is up to <0.015 mg/L, with values up to <0.1 mg/L still indicative of good health in well-managed systems. ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-23 00:19 UTC: UpperThreshold 0.015 → 0.1 (check: MinAboveMax, rationale: Swapping values to correct form misclassification; the MaximumOnly threshold should be 0.1 mg/L as the upper degradation ceiling, consistent with Notes stating values above 0.1 indicate notable anthropogenic impact.)

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-ASC-LVG-WNI family.