river health data
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How healthy are our rivers?
We aim to have 50% of our rivers and creeks in good or excellent condition by 2015.
A 2004 report (PDF, 1.34mb) showed that of the rivers and creeks in the Port Phillip and Westernport region:
- 25% are in good or excellent condition
- 30% are in moderate to very poor condition , and
- 45% are in poor or very poor condition (see Rivers and creek condition map).
Enlarge River and Creek Condition map
We use a tool called the Index of River Condition (IRC) to help us find out the condition of our rivers and creeks.
The index looks at five different aspects of a river or creek.
| Aspect | What does it describe? |
|---|---|
| Physical form | Condition of the river bank and bed, and the habitat in the river or creek. |
| Streamside zone | The type and amount of plants along the river or creek |
| Hydrology | The amount of water in the river or creek through the seasons |
| Water quality | The physical and chemical features of the water (for example, pH, turbidity, the amount of dissolved oxygen, etc). |
| Aquatic life | The diversity of water bugs in the river or creek |
For each aspect, scientists look at how much a river or creek has change from its natural or ideal conditions. They then score each aspect out of a maximum of 10. So the overall index for a river or creek will range between 0 and 50.
What is the Index of River Condition of your local river or creek?
Water quality data
- Summary Waterway Water Quality Data 2004 (PDF, 2.4mb)
- Summary Waterway Water Quality Data 2005 (PDF, 271kb)
- Summary Waterway Water Quality Data 2006 (PDF, 414kb)
- Summary Waterway Water Quality Data 2007 (PDF, 256kb)
Maps
- Index of River Condition - Aquatic Life (225kb GIF)
- Index of River Condition - Hydrology (234kb GIF)
- Index of River Condition - Physical Form (223kb GIF)
- Index of River Condition - Stream Side Zone (219kb GIF)
- Index of River Condition - Water Quality (221kb GIF)
