Index of Stream Condition

Victoria monitors river health through the Index of Stream Condition (ISC). The ISC is an integrated tool for catchment management that can assist Catchment Management Authorities together with their regional communities to set management objectives and measure the effectiveness of long term programs for the rivers in their catchment. The Index of Stream Condition (ISC) is the first complete and comprehensive study of the environmental condition of rivers anywhere in Australia and was also the first integrated measure of river condition in Australia. The ISC measures the environmental condition from an ecological perspective of 1040 river reaches, representing 26 000 km of Victoria's major rivers and tributaries. Five key components of river health are assessed, these components, or sub-indices, measure changes in hydrology, water quality, streamside zone (vegetation), physical form (bed and bank condition and instream habitat) and aquatic life. A list of the indicators assessed are provided in the table below. Please visit the ISC website to find out more information (external link).

Upper Tallangatta Creek in North East Victoria Sampling for macroinvertebrates, Goulburn Catchment Management Area. Photo: Waterwatch Victoria

All ISC data is available for viewing and downloading at the Vic Waterdata Network website (external link).

Page Top