Water Nitrate

AUS-TSR-IND-WNI General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

4.87 mg/L
Thresholds: Lower: —, Upper: 4.87
Direction: Lower is desirable ↓
Form: MaximumOnly

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is CompositeFramework, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.

Evidence & Context

Upper Detrimental Threshold (95% Species Protection): 1.1 mg/L as NO3−​-N.1 Converted to mg/L as NO3−​: 1.1 mg/L N×4.4268=4.87 mg/L NO3−​.This value represents the concentration above which direct toxic effects on a significant portion (5%) of aquatic species are expected.

Metric Definition:

Upper detrimental threshold for nitrate concentration in tropical rainforest aquatic ecosystems, defined as the 95% species protection guideline for soft water.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the nitrate concentration threshold in tropical rainforest aquatic ecosystems above which direct toxic effects on 5% of aquatic species are expected, indicating potential ecological harm.

Justification:

This threshold is based on the draft 2024 Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZG) for toxicant default guideline values.

Sources (1)

Preview of Toxicant default guideline values for aquatic ecosystem protection ..., accessed August 8, 2025
Toxicant default guideline values for aquatic ecosystem protection ..., accessed August 8, 2025 Journal

Toxicant default guideline values for aquatic ecosystem protection ...

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Supporting Sources (1)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Nitrate and nitrite | Australian Drinking Water Guidelines - NHMRC, accessed August 8, 2025
Nitrate and nitrite | Australian Drinking Water Guidelines - NHMRC, accessed August 8, 2025
Contextual Support Government

Water quality guidelines - Queensland Environment Department, accessed July 31, 2025,

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Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Tropical & Subtropical Rainforests
  • Land Use Industrial & Infrastructure Use
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 17 Mar 2026

Notes

Represents the concentration above which direct toxic effects on a significant portion (5%) of aquatic species are expected.