Beneficial Use Maps
These maps differentiate five beneficial use categories of groundwater, based on salinity and other factors:
- The best groundwater (less than 1,000 mg)/L TDS) – suitable for drinking and for most domestic, industrial and irrigation purposes.
- 1,000 to 3,000 mg/L TDS – may be used for some domestic and industrial purposes or for irrigating salt tolerant crops.
- 3,000 to 7,000 mg/L TDS – suitable only for stock watering.
- Greater than 7,000 mg/L TDS – suitable only for sheep.
- Greater than 14,000 mg/L TDS – too saline for any use.
By comparison, seawater contains about 35,000 mg/L TDS.