Index of Stream Condition: The Second Benchmark of Victorian River Condition of Victorian Second Benchmark Condition: The Index of Stream Index of Stream Condition: The Second Benchmark of Victorian River Condition 2 ISC “The results of the 1999 and 2004 ISC benchmarking have provided an enormously valuable information resource, critical for setting long-term management objectives, developing priorities for action and evaluating the effectiveness of past efforts.” Hofstede Design 644 08/05 Published by the Victorian Authorised by the Victorian Disclaimer Government Department of Government, 8 Nicholson Street, This publication may be of assistance Sustainability and Environment East Melbourne. to you but the State of Victoria and Melbourne, August 2005. Printed by Bambra Press, its employees do not guarantee that Also published on 6 Rocklea Drive Port Melbourne. the publication is without flaw of any www.vicwaterdata.net kind or is wholly appropriate for your ISBN 1 74152 192 0 particular purposes and therefore ©The State of Victoria Department of For more information contact the DSE disclaims all liability for any error, loss Sustainability and Environment 2005 Customer Service Centre 136 186 or other consequence which may arise This publication is copyright. No part This report is printed on Onyx, an from you relying on any information may be reproduced by any process in this publication. except in accordance with the Australian-made 100% recycled paper. provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Index of Stream Condition: The Second Benchmark of Victorian River Condition 2 ISC Acknowledgments Special thanks go to: CMA field crews and in particular These consultants deserve the CMA co-ordinators: special mention: The ISC is a large undertaking Paul Wilson – managing and and requires a large cast to co-ordinating the ISC program. Veronica Lanigan Dr Rory Nathan and Robert make it work. Sam Marwood – database (North East CMA) Morden from SKM for their management and data analysis. Wayne Tennant and Dustin Lavery work on hydrology. Dr Jane Doolan – strategic (Goulburn Broken CMA) Dr James Grove from Monash oversight of ISC Development. Brad Drust University for his work on (North Central CMA) physical form. The Scientific Reference Panel – Department of Sustainability and intellectual input and oversight of Susan Burns and Aimee Cairns Environment, Victorian Water Trust, the ISC development and review: (Mallee CMA) National Action Plan and the Elyse Riethmuller and Paul Fennell Professor Barry Hart – Chair Natural Heritage Trust have (Wimmera CMA) (Monash University) provided funding. Leigh Smith and Kylie Waller Professor Sam Lake Katrina Whelen, Carol Roberts (Glenelg Hopkins CMA) (Monash University) and Warren Barker – Professor Tom McMahon Greg Peters editorial assistance (Corangamite CMA) (University of Melbourne) Alison Pouliot – Professor Ian Rutherfurd Kylie DeBono special photography (West Gippsland CMA) (University of Melbourne) Dominic Hofstede – Dr Tony Ladson Jo Hand Hofstede Design (East Gippsland CMA) (Monash University) Bambra Press – Dr John Tilleard Warren Davies printing (Moroka Pty Ltd) (Port Phillip CMA) Leon Metzeling Helen Campbell (EPA Victoria) (Melbourne Water) Greg Peters Lisa Dixon (EPA Victoria) – (Victorian Waterway Managers co-ordinating macroinvertebrate Forum) sampling. Wayne Tennant (Victorian Waterway Managers Forum) II Minister’s Foreword This second Index of Stream With information gathered to provide a share of water Condition (ISC) report shows from this study, the Government for environmental values, as well that since the 1999 benchmark developed the Victorian River as establishing water recovery there has been no overall change Health Strategy and regionally, programs for priority stressed in the condition of streams at Catchment Management rivers, increased the level of the statewide scale and the Authorities developed regional investment in river and aquifer deterioration in stream condition River Health Strategies. These health, and sustainable water appears to have been controlled. strategies set priorities for resource management by an Now, the challenge is to directing government’s annual additional $100 million over four consolidate and build on this investment in waterway years, and continue to develop result. We know that ongoing management. partnerships with CMAs and the commitment and effort is The second ISC benchmarking, community. necessary to keep our rivers undertaken during 2004, builds This second benchmarking healthy and functioning as the on the groundbreaking work of river condition will form the lifeblood of Victoria. begun in 1999 and documents basis from which we can measure Just six years ago, the first the progress. our progress towards the targets Index of Stream Condition (ISC) Recognising the role of rivers set in Our Water Our Future. showed how timely it was for the was a key part of the Our Water I congratulate everyone Government to undertake the first Our Future action plan launched who has contributed to our consistent and comprehensive last year. One of the fundamental achievements in improving the study of environmental condition principles of Victoria’s new health of our waterways. Your carried out anywhere in Australia. approach to water management support has provided the The results of this study indicated is that a healthy economy and successful step forward for that after 200 years of neglect, society depend on a healthy one of Victoria’s most important while many streams still were in environment. environmental initiatives. good or excellent condition, we In the action plan, the faced a considerable task to Government committed to achieve ensure adequate environmental significant improvements in the flow regimes, improve water ecological condition of Victoria’s John Thwaites quality and halt the degradation rivers by 2010. We established Minister for Environment of riparian and floodplain areas. the Environmental Water Reserve Minister for Water Foreword III Contents IV II Acknowledgments III Minister’s Foreword 06 Introduction 16 Glossary 18 Basin 1 Upper Murray 20 Basin 2 Kiewa 22 Basin 3 Ovens 24 Basin 4 Broken 26 Basin 5 Goulburn 28 Basin 6 Campaspe 30 Basin 7 Loddon 32 Basin 8 Avoca 34 Basin 14 Mallee 36 Basin 15 Wimmera 38 Basin 21 East Gippsland 40 Basin 22 Snowy 42 Basin 23 Tambo 44 Basin 24 Mitchell 46 Basin 25 Thomson 48 Basin 26 LaTrobe 50 Basin 27 South Gippsland 52 Basin 28 Bunyip 54 Basin 29 Yarra 56 Basin 30 Maribyrnong 58 Basin 31 Werribee 60 Basin 32 Moorabool 62 Basin 33 Barwon 64 Basin 34 Corangamite 66 Basin 35 Otway 68 Basin 36 Hopkins 70 Basin 37 Portland 72 Basin 38 Glenelg 74 Basin 39 Millicent 05 In 1999, the Victorian Government, in conjunction with its Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) benchmarked the environmental condition of Victoria’s major rivers and tributaries. This was an important milestone for two reasons. It was the first complete and comprehensive study of the environmental condition of rivers anywhere in Australia. Second, the benchmark was based on the first integrated measure of river condition – the Index of Stream Condition (ISC). Before the Victorian benchmarking exercise, river health was assessed by considering single features such as water quality or aquatic macroinvertebrates. These measures focused only on very narrow individual elements of a river and could not convey a total picture of the overall environmental condition. Introduction 06 The development of the ISC allowed, for Since 1999, the science behind the ISC has the first time: evolved significantly, particularly in the areas • A consistent statewide picture of the of hydrology and environmental flows, vegetation environmental condition of rivers and streams assessment and water quality. Additional work • A consistent approach to the identification of has also been undertaken on river condition river values and threats assessment as part of the National Land and • A consistent approach to the setting of strategic Water Audit and the Sustainable Rivers Audit objectives and targets for river health at the for the Murray Darling Basin. river or river reach scale As a result, the ISC has been reviewed and • A clear way to communicate all the aspects of updated to provide the most accurate, up-to-date rivers that contribute to river condition and that and appropriate data. The new methodologies need to be managed together to maintain or used in the second ISC benchmarking exercise in improve river health 2004 and their linkage with the 1999 methodology • A way to assess the long-term effectiveness are discussed in more detail in this report. The of river rehabilitation programs. results of the 2004 ISC are summarised in this The ISC combines information on five key report and published on the internet, as part of aspects of river health. These components, or the Victorian Water Resources Data Warehouse sub-indices, measure changes in hydrology, water (www.vicwaterdata.net). quality, streamside zone (vegetation), physical form (bed and bank condition and instream habitat) and aquatic life. The Index was developed using information that could be easily understood, collected at the regional scale and fed directly into regional planning exercises. In addition, the methodology had to be accurate, easy to use, cost effective, based on good science and able to be undertaken by CMA staff, Waterwatchers and others associated with natural resource management. The ISC combines information on five key aspects of river health: hydrology + water