Water Nitrate

AUS-TMS-AGR-WNI General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

2.6 mg N-NO₃⁻/L
Thresholds: Lower: —, Upper: 2.6
Direction: Lower is desirable ↓
Form: UpperThreshold

Evidence & Context

Specifically, this threshold is 1.1 mg NO₃⁻-N/L for soft water conditions (<30 mg/L CaCO₃) and 2.6 mg NO₃⁻-N/L for moderately hard water conditions (30–150 mg/L CaCO₃).

Metric Definition:

Upper detrimental threshold for water nitrate concentration indicating ecological harm.

Benchmark Definition:

Upper detrimental threshold for nitrate concentration in moderately hard water to protect aquatic ecosystem health.

Justification:

Based on ANZG 2024 Default Guideline Values for 95% species protection in moderately hard water conditions.

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 ...

View Source

Supporting Sources (15)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of (PDF) Nitrate in groundwaters of intensive agricultural areas in coastal Northeastern Australia - ResearchGate, accessed July 24, 2025,
(PDF) Nitrate in groundwaters of intensive agricultural areas in coastal Northeastern Australia - ResearchGate, accessed July 24, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

(PDF) Nitrate in groundwaters of intensive agricultural areas in coastal Northeastern Australia - ResearchGate, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Australia's tropical savannas: vast, ancient and rich landscapes - CSIRO Research Publications Repository, accessed May 11, 2025,
Australia's tropical savannas: vast, ancient and rich landscapes - CSIRO Research Publications Repository, accessed May 11, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

NDVI vs NDMI: Understanding Key Vegetation Indices for Precision Agriculture -

View Source
Preview of Australian Savanna Biome, accessed May 17, 2025,
Australian Savanna Biome, accessed May 17, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

The Tropical Savannas of Northern Australia - Charles Darwin University, accessed July 23, 2025

View Source
Preview of Cape York eastern basins - Queensland Environment Department, accessed May 11, 2025,
Cape York eastern basins - Queensland Environment Department, accessed May 11, 2025,
Regulatory Framework Government

Cape York eastern basins - Queensland Environment Department, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Does rapid utilization of elevated nutrient availability allow eucalypts to dominate in the tropical savannas of Australia? - PubMed Central, accessed May 11, 2025,
Does rapid utilization of elevated nutrient availability allow eucalypts to dominate in the tropical savannas of Australia? - PubMed Central, accessed May 11, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

General soil fertility guides and commercial forestry studies

View Source
Preview of environment.des.qld.gov.au, accessed May 14, 2025,
environment.des.qld.gov.au, accessed May 14, 2025,
Direct Evidence Journal

Water quality monitoring in Cape York streams June to August 2021 - Queensland Environment Department, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of environment.desi.qld.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,
environment.desi.qld.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,
Direct Evidence Journal

environment.desi.qld.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Environmental impacts of nitrate pollution - Aquamonitrix, accessed July 24, 2025,
Environmental impacts of nitrate pollution - Aquamonitrix, accessed July 24, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Environmental impacts of nitrate pollution - Aquamonitrix® - Nitrate and Nitrite Analyser, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Food, Climate & Regenerative Farming FAQ - The Nature Conservancy, accessed May 11, 2025,
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 Hardness (as calcium carbonate) | Australian Drinking Water Guidelines - NHMRC, accessed May 11, 2025,
Hardness (as calcium carbonate) | Australian Drinking Water Guidelines - NHMRC, accessed May 11, 2025,
Irrelevant Government

Hardness (as calcium carbonate) | Australian Drinking Water Guidelines - NHMRC, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of The water quality and economic benefits of agricultural management practices, accessed August 5, 2025
The water quality and economic benefits of agricultural management practices, accessed August 5, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Protecting farm waterways | Dairy News Australia

View Source
Preview of Tropical savanna climate (Aw) | SKYbrary Aviation Safety, accessed May 11, 2025,
Tropical savanna climate (Aw) | SKYbrary Aviation Safety, accessed May 11, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Tropical savanna climate (Aw) | SKYbrary Aviation Safety, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Water hardness - Tamworth Regional Council, accessed May 11, 2025,
Water hardness - Tamworth Regional Council, accessed May 11, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Water hardness - Tamworth Regional Council, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of www.detsi.qld.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,
www.detsi.qld.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

www.detsi.qld.gov.au, accessed May 11, 2025,

View Source
Preview of www.rrrc.org.au, accessed May 15, 2025,
www.rrrc.org.au, accessed May 15, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Sediments and nutrients in north Queensland tropical streams: changes with agricultural development and pristine condition status (Technical Report No. 62, Australian Rainforest CRC, 2006)

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Tropical Monsoonal Savannas
  • Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Retired
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 17 Mar 2026
  • Effective To 20 Mar 2026

Notes

Exceeding this threshold indicates potential ecological impairment and departure from high environmental health.

Related Benchmarks

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

— mg/L Moderate
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
OptimalRange Active v1
1.1 mg N-NO₃⁻/L Moderate
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
UpperThreshold Retired v1