River Risk Ratings

The River Risk Ratings provide a comprehensive view of how river condition and risk have been assessed across New South Wales over the past three decades. This collection brings together historic and contemporary datasets developed from the 1990s to the present, illustrating the evolution of assessment methodologies used to understand river health, hydrological stress, and ecological vulnerability. Together, these datasets link spatial layers, tabular data, and supporting reports — forming a single point of truth for understanding how NSW river systems have been evaluated through time. 

The River Risk Ratings are comprised of three key components, each reflecting a distinct period and methodology in river risk assessment: 

<strong>1. River Risk Ratings – Historic Stress Rivers Assessment (1990s)</strong>

A historic dataset derived from the original Stress Rivers Approach (SRA) developed during the 1990s, prior to the introduction of the Water Management Act 2000. This early method classified rivers according to stress indicators such as water extraction pressure and ecological condition. It represents one of the first systematic attempts to quantify river stress across NSW and serves as an important baseline for later risk assessments. 

<strong>2. River Risk Ratings – Historic Macro Risk Assessment (2000s)</strong>  <em>yet to publish</em> 

A historic risk dataset developed during the 2000s by water planners. This macro-level assessment expanded on the earlier SRA work by incorporating hydrological and ecological metrics to evaluate risk at the catchment scale. It informed early water-sharing and planning frameworks under the emerging Water Management Act 2000 and provides continuity between the early and modern risk assessment models. 

<strong>3. River Risk Ratings – Contemporary Risk Assessment (2016–Present)</strong> <em>yet to publish</em> 

The current and ongoing statewide river risk dataset developed from 2016 to the present. It consolidates a decade of river risk ratings into a centralised database, supported by spatial layers and associated reports (including those linked to the MDBA Water Resource Plans). This represents the most up-to-date and standardised approach to river risk assessment in NSW and forms the operational basis for future updates. 



<strong>How to Access the Data on the SEED Open Data Portal</strong>
This landing page provides an overview only. To view or download the data, perform the following:
<ol>
<li>Scroll down and click “Related Datasets” (Dataset relationship).</li>
<li>Select one of the listed datasets.</li>
<li>On that dataset’s page, the data will either be available in the <strong>Dataset Packages</strong> section (if files are attached) or in the <strong>External Links</strong> section (if the dataset redirects you to another site to view or download the data).</li>
</ol>



Note: If you would like to ask a question, make any suggestions, or tell us how you are using this dataset, please visit the <a href="https://water-hub.seed.nsw.gov.au/thread/search">NSW Water Hub which has an online forum</a> you can join.

Tags: Catchment planning, DCCEEW - Water, DCCEEW - Water Science, Ecological condition, Hydrological stress, Risk, Risk assessment, River, River Risk Rating, Water Management, conservation values, environmental, river health
Organization: NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water