Estuary Condition Rating System

Rating of indicators or indices of estuary condition into a colour scale is a visual tool for communicating relative health between indicators, estuaries, regions or state-wide. All indicators of estuary condition were rated on a five colour scale of dark green, light green, yellow, orange and red representing (respectively) very good, good, fair, poor and very poor condition. Where sufficient data were available, ratings for individual condition indicators within an estuary were integrated into an estuary condition index, an overall condition indicator rating in a region and state-wide and an overall condition rating for all estuaries in a region and state-wide (see Estuary Index Rating metadata). Ratings and colour scales have been incorporated into reports on estuary condition called State of the Catchments 2010 reports available on the OEH website.