Water Nitrate

AUS-ASC-LVG-WNI General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range
Range: 0 to 0.1 mg/L
Optimal Range: 0 to 0.1
Direction: Higher 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 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 optimal range for water nitrate (as NOx-N or NNN) in Australian alpine and subalpine grazing systems demonstrating high environmental health is likely from below detection limits up to <0.1 mg/L N.

Metric Definition:

Water nitrate concentration as NOx-N or Nitrate+Nitrite Nitrogen (NNN) indicating high environmental health in alpine/subalpine grazing systems.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the optimal range of water nitrate concentration indicating sustained high ecological health and minimal anthropogenic stress in alpine and subalpine grazing systems.

Justification:

Supported by ANZECC & ARMCANZ (2000) guidelines and analogous New Zealand data showing near-pristine conditions with nitrate typically below 0.1 mg/L N.

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.

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Context

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

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 16 Mar 2026

Notes

Values consistently below 0.015 mg/L represent the highest ecological condition; values up to 0.1 mg/L may still indicate good health in well-managed systems.

Related Benchmarks

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

0.015 mg/L Moderate
Livestock Grazing & Pasture · Pristine Reference
MaximumOnly Active v1
0.1 mg/L Moderate
Livestock Grazing & Pasture · Pristine Reference
MinimumOnly Active v1