Water Electrical Conductivity (EC)
Benchmark Value
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
Evidence & Context
An aspirational target of <50 µS/cm (expressed as an annual median) is proposed for surface waters in agricultural landscapes situated on ancient, nutrient-poor geologies, which are typical of many tropical savanna headwater regions.
Water Electrical Conductivity (EC) quantifies the ability of water to conduct an electrical current, proportional to the concentration of total dissolved ionized substances in the water.
An aspirational target representing the best available condition of nature achievable under sustainable or regenerative Agricultural Crop Production within Australian Tropical Monsoonal Savannas.
The selection of <50 µS/cm as an aspirational target is grounded in the evidence that many undeveloped tropical Australian rivers, particularly those in catchments with highly weathered, ancient geologies, naturally exhibit very low ionic strength. Sustainable and regenerative agricultural systems aim to minimize solute export, so achieving EC levels comparable to pristine reference conditions indicates successful management.
Supporting Sources (19)
Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
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Northern Territory Government (2020) Darwin Harbour Region Water Quality Objectives, Report Card Section 3.0.
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Water Quality objectives for the region - Department of Lands, Planning and Environment
View SourceFood, Climate & Regenerative Farming FAQ - The Nature Conservancy
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View SourceNCC: Regenerative Agriculture and Soil Health - Wet Tropics Plan, accessed July 27, 2025,
View SourceRetrieving 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 SourceBasin 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
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SSR179 - Baseline suspended-sediment, solute, EC ... - DCCEEW, accessed May 11, 2025,
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Stream Baseflows in the Daly Basin - CiteSeerX, accessed May 11, 2025,
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Surface water chemistry monitoring protocol to assess impacts from the Ranger Mine (DOCX 1.7 MB) - DCCEEW, accessed May 11, 2025,
View SourceUnderstanding the Impact of Intensive Horticulture Land-Use Practices on Surface Water Quality in Central Kenya - ResearchGate, accessed May 11, 2025,
View SourceDrivers of water quality in Afromontane-savanna rivers - Frontiers
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Water resource assessment for the Roper catchment. A ... - CSIRO, accessed May 11, 2025,
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