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Layer: River Styles (ID: 1)

Name: River Styles

Display Field: HYDRO_NAME_TYPE

Type: Feature Layer

Geometry Type: esriGeometryPolyline

Description: Rivers in New South Wales display a broad range of physical forms and processes. Their form, or character, is a result of many factors including their position in the landscape, geology, land use (both current and historical), runoff and streamflow (amount and variability), sediment dynamics and vegetation. Understanding the processes and responses, or behaviour, of these systems, allows us develop ways to support and improve riverine health. Healthy rivers are critical for the plants and animals that live there, but also have important cultural, social and economic value.River Styles is a framework developed at Macquarie University that describes the physical characteristics and diversity of rivers and assesses geomorphic stream condition. It considers their capacity to adjust, sensitivity to change due to disturbance, and the pressures (natural and human) that affect their geomorphic condition. It further considers whether a river reach is likely to improve its geomorphic condition over a reasonable timeframe (normally decades) if left alone and provides guidance to help with the prioritisation of river management activities on a conservation-first basis. The four stages in the River Styles Framework, cover the description of river morphology, interpretation of behaviour, assessment of condition, prediction of river recovery potential and prioritisation of river management.Stage 1 is used to identify River Styles and interpret their forms, processes, behaviour, patterns in catchments, and controls on their character and behaviour. Stage 2 is used to interpret geomorphic condition in the context of river evolution. The data can be used to describe the extent to which the river has been altered relative to an expected reference condition and to identify causes of deterioration or improvement. Stage 3 places each reach within its catchment context to analyse river recovery potential, based on the connectivity of reaches within that catchment. The data can be used to identify trajectories of geomorphic recovery and likely timeframes for recovery. Stage 4 provides an approach to vision-setting and prioritisation for river management.Description of Field headings/Attributes (Alias [Field] – description)Lateral and bed confinement imposed on the channel [CONFINEMENT_LEVEL] – the presence and proportions of non-erosive margins that prevent river migration and/or change in channel form. This field may also include whether the channel is continuous or discontinuous.Valley margin or planform control type [MARGIN_CONTROL] – the types of controls that prevent or limit river migration, bed incision or channel length. These may also describe riverine fragility. This field is only required for confined and partly confined reaches.Channel planform (pattern seen from above) [PLANFORM_DESCRIPTOR] – planform is a way of seeing a river; a plan of the river channel from above, showing its location, position on any floodplain, meandering pattern, branching, anabranching, paleo-channels, flood channels break out or re-entry points. This field is only required for partly confined and laterally unconfined, continuous channels.Additional planform constraints [PLANFORM_CONSTRAINT] – additional constraint applied to the river planform via secondary confining features. An example would be a terrace creating an additional constraint on the ability of the channel to migrate. This field is only required for partly confined, planform-controlled reaches, but may contain information that adds information to other margin control types.Distinctive or primary geomorphic descriptor [DISTINCTIVE_DESCRIPTOR] – the dominant or key defining geomorphic unit. For example, occasional floodplain pockets along a bedrock margin-controlled reach, or chain of ponds in a laterally unconfined, discontinuous channel reach. Additional geomorphic descriptor [GEOMORPHIC_DESCRIPTOR] – an additional descriptor to provide more information or context, or split reaches. For example, to differential a meander cut off or flood channel from the primary channel.Dominant channel bed material or sediment size [BED_MATERIAL_TEXTURE] – the broad class of bed materials on which the river works, and which describes the sediment class for assessment of mobilisation and transport. For discontinuous channels, it is the valley fill texture. Examples include bedrock, boulder, cobble, gravel, sand, fine-grained.River Style [RIVER_STYLE_FULL_NAME] – merges the controls and descriptions to create specific River Styles. It divides rivers into classes based on the hierarchy of geo-attributes. It includes a description of the valley confinement, any margin or planform controls, channel sinuosity (e.g., meandering) and continuity, floodplains (if any), and bed material. For example, a Partly confined, planform controlled, meandering, discontinuous floodplain, gravel bed River Style is usually found in sections of mid catchment landscapes. Whereas a Laterally unconfined, discontinuous channel, valley fill, fine grained River Style is more likely to be found in low slope headwater areas. River Styles may also be described as Anthropogenic, identifying a reach that has been highly modified, such as a reservoir or urban stream. River Style (abbreviated) [RIVER_STYLE_ABBREVIATED_NAME] – abbreviated text form of the River StyleRiver Styles Group [RIVER_STYLES_GROUP] – simplified name for the River Styles. Groups similar River Styles, for example, the abbreviated names PC_PC_LSin_DcFp_Fbed, PC_PC_LSin_EbkCS_DcFp_Fbed and PC_PC_LSin_FnCS_DcFp_Fbed, would be under Planform controlled, low sinuosity, fine-grained bed.Fragility or sensitivity to disturbance [FRAGILITY] – the likelihood of a river channel to change shape, location, or condition when disturbed. This is a natural and inherent part of rivers and is not a measure of health.

Service Item Id: afbe7e81b44f461185c8a08ca3598d4c

Copyright Text: State Government of NSW and NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water 2026

Default Visibility: false

MaxRecordCount: 2000

MaxSelectionCount: 2000

Supported Query Formats: JSON, geoJSON, PBF

Min Scale: 2000000.0

Max Scale: 0.0

Supports Advanced Queries: true

Supports Statistics: true

Has Labels: false

Can Modify Layer: true

Can Scale Symbols: false

Use Standardized Queries: true

Supports Datum Transformation: true

Extent:
Drawing Info: Advanced Query Capabilities:
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HasM: false

Has Attachments: false

HTML Popup Type: esriServerHTMLPopupTypeAsHTMLText

Type ID Field: null

Fields:
Supported Operations:   Query   Query Attachments   Query Analytic   Generate Renderer   Return Updates

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