Theme 3: Human Impacts on Catchments

Topic: Stormwater and Sewage

Stormwater is different to wastewater

Water that has been used inside you home in your toilet, shower, kitchen and laundry is called 'wastewater'. This wastewater goes to a treatment plant where it undergoes a cleansing process, before it is reused or discharged to the sea.

Stormwater however, is very different to wastewater. Stormwater is any rain that falls on roofs, that collects on paved or concrete areas, or that flows across the ground after rainfall. Unlike wastewater, storm-water does not receive any treatment before it enters creeks, rivers and the sea.

To prevent homes and neighbourhoods from being flooded, stormwater systems have been built in most urban areas. Most streets have gutters and drains. These serve to collect and channel stormwater away from roads and homes. These street-side gutters and drains also serve to capture and channel storm-water that falls on buildings and homes and gardens that adjoin the street. When rain falls on your home, the water travels along your roof guttering and then via stormwater pipes out into the street. The water from hard surfaces around your home will also run off into the street.

Once in the street, stormwater is then channeled, via a series of underground pipes, straight into the local creek, river or sea.

Stormwater pollution

As stormwater flows across the ground, it collects many kinds of pollutants and carries them into our waterways. Problems with stormwater occur because humans have increased the amount of pollution left on the ground and it washes into waterways after rainfall.

There are three main types of storm-water pollution:

• litter, such as cigarette butts, cans, paper or plastic bags
• chemical pollution, such as detergents, oil or fertilisers and road run-off, and
• natural pollution, such as leaves, garden clippings or animal droppings.

Types of pollutants that enter a waterway depend on the types of surrounding land use. In an undisturbed bushland, stormwater pollution may be limited to leaves and animal droppings. A waterway flowing through a suburban area can become highly polluted after rain, due to the large amount of pollutants that people leave lying on the ground. Pollutants in suburban areas include: litter, grease and oils that have leaked from cars onto the road, detergents, and chemical sprays used in gardens.

In addition to being unsightly, stormwater pollution can kill the plants and animals that live in the water. For example:

• sediment in the water reduces light penetration and affects photosynthesis, the process that allows plants to use light as their source of energy
• when green waste decays in water it uses up oxygen, taking vital oxygen away from plants, fish and other aquatic animals, and
• soil makes waterways cloudy and can suffocate fish by clogging their gills and litter clogs waterways and causes toxicity as it breaks down. It affects the health of birds, fish and other animals and plants that live in waterways.

Student Activity Ideas

• Students to investigate a single pollutant by drawing it, describing it, and designing a street sign to prevent people creating this pollutant in the future.
• Students to design a robot to fix up our most polluted waterways.
• Students to think of stormwater pollution words for home, school and the park.
• Students to design a city of the future that has no stormwater pollution problems.
• Students to explore their local neighbourhood, record the pollutants they notice, e.g. litter and identify any possible sources of pollution e,g, cars, factories, overflowing bins, deciduous trees dogs etc.

Enquiry Learning

• What is the difference between stormwater and sewage systems? How do sewage systems work, and where does the water end up?
• How has the environment that humans have built and its stormwater system changed the way that water moves through the natural environment?
• How does stormwater carry pollution through the catchment system into the ocean?
• What sort of pollutants may be contained in runoff from rural areas?
• Currently, only a small portion of rainwater that falls on urban areas is captured and reused. What are some ways/ideas for capturing and reusing stormwater?

Internet Resources

Type	Description	Resources Covering the Topic
Easy	Stormwater code of practice for the community. Thorough document covering all issues, including how to protect stormwater from pollution from the garden, businesses, etc.	SA EPA www.environment.sa.gov.au/epa/ pdfs/commcode1.pdf
	What is stormwater pollution?	SA EPA www.environment.sa.gov.au/epa/ pdfs/water_general.pdf
	SA Stormwater Pollution Prevention Projects.	SA Catchment Boards www.catchments.net/sppp/ index.shtml
	What is stormwater pollution? Covers the main issues well.	NSW Government www.uprct.nsw.gov.au/water_quality/ facts/stormwater.htm NAB Catchment Board www.catchments.net/initiatives/ stormwater/factsheets/ 01_Stormwater_pollution.pdf
	What is water pollution? Overview of water quality issues in Victoria.	EPA VIC www.epa.vic.gov.au/water/ default.asp
	Stormwater: What is stormwater pollution? Concise with diagram.	KESAB Patawalonga and Torrens Waterwatch www.cwmb.sa.gov.au/kwc/ programs/about_catchments/4.htm
	Stormwater pollution - what happens to the water when it rains? Pictures and concise explanations.	NSW Government www.uprct.nsw.gov.au/water_quality/ facts/stormwater.htm
	How does stormwater pollution affect us? Brief concise summary of issues.	EPA NSW www.epa.nsw.gov.au/stormwater/ howaffect.htm
	What is urban stormwater? Concise summary of main issues.	EPA NSW www.epa.nsw.gov.au/stormwater/ whatis/index.htm
More Comprehensive	Brief summary of the cost of some forms of water pollution to the whole economy.	Water Quality 'The Cost of Water Pollution' www.mdbc.gov.au/naturalresources/ env_issues/water_quality.htm
	Stormwater pollution prevention projects in South Australia. Good factsheet about impacts of different types of pollution	Stormwater Pollution Prevention Projects www.catchments.net/initiatives/ stormwater/factsheets/ 02_Environmental_Impacts_ Stormwater.pdf
	What causes stormwater pollution? Concise summary of main issues including, factors affecting stormwater pollution, and effects on plants and animals.	EPA NSW www.epa.nsw.gov.au/stormwater/ whatcauses.htm
	General summary of the issues of pollution from building sites. Includes a useful diagram.	Stormwater from Building Sites - NSW EPA www.epa.nsw.gov.au/envirom/ stormwater.htm
	Pollution in fresh water ecosystems.	Biology Online www.biology-online.org/6/ 17_pollution.htm
	Stormwater solutions Includes useful tips for reducing stormwater pollution. PDF download.	Onkaparinga Catchment Water Management Board www.onkaparinga.net/education/ downloads/folder_4/5_14.pdf
	KESAB Clean Site Program. Includes fact sheets in 'handy hints' section.	KESAB www.kesab.asn.au/cleansite/ index.htm
More Complex	Stormwater: A wasted resource? (a downloadable PDF). Covers main issues concerning stormwater as a potential resource. Includes a number of activities for senior students.	Murray Users www.murrayusers.sa.gov.au/pdfs/ MIssues3stormwater.pdf
	Effluent: A future resource (a downloadable PDF). Covers main issues concerning effluent as a potential resource. Includes sewage, and industrial and animal wastes. A number of activities for senior students.	Murray Users www.murrayusers.sa.gov.au/pdfs/ MIssue1effluent.pdf
	KESAB Clean Site Program. Includes fact sheets in 'handy hints' section.	KESAB www.kesab.asn.au/cleansite/ index.htm

Activities

Band	Activity	Contact
Primary Years	Water quality monitoring. Contact your local Waterwatch coordinator. See the contacts list in this site to find the details of your local Waterwatch Coordinator.	Contact Waterwatch SA or your regional Waterwatch Officer www.sa.waterwatch.org.au
	Contact your local Council to see if they have a Pollution Prevention Officer who can assist in stormwater information and activities.	Stormwater Pollution prevention Projects www.catchments.net/sppp/ index.shtml
	Contact your local Catchment Water Management Board for information on stormwater. They have brochures, project officers, plans and other information to assist in understanding stormwater.	Contact your local Catchment Water Management Board www.catchments.net
	This site has many activities concerned with stormwater and pollution, such as 'The Nature of Stormwater'. An interactive of a house that demonstrates how stormwater can be polluted and what people can do to clean it up.	KESAB Patawalonga and Torrens Waterwatch www.cwmb.sa.gov.au/kwc/ interactive/stormwater/house.htm
	Fresh water ecology and pollution. Website covers many of the important water issues in an easy to follow format.	Themes for Elementary Students www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/ water.htm
Middle Years	Murray issues. A resource for environmental inquiry in secondary schools, including information and activities about stormwater.	River Murray Urban Users Local Action Planning Committee Inc. www.murrayusers.sa.gov.au
	Water quality monitoring. Contact your local Waterwatch coordinator (see the contacts list in this site to find the details of your local Waterwatch Coordinator).	Contact Waterwatch SA or your regional Waterwatch Officer www.sa.waterwatch.org.au
	Contact your local Council to see if they have a Pollution Prevention Officer who can assist in stormwater information and activities.	Stormwater Pollution prevention Projects www.catchments.net/sppp/ index.shtml
	Contact your local Catchment Water Management Board for information on stormwater. They have brochures, project officers, plans and other information to assist in understanding stormwater.	Contact your local Catchment Water Management Board www.catchments.net
	This site has many activities concerned with stormwater and pollution, such as 'The nature of stormwater'. An interactive of a house that demonstrates how stormwater can be polluted and what people can do to clean it up.	KESAB Patawalonga and Torrens Waterwatch www.cwmb.sa.gov.au/kwc/ interactive/stormwater/house.htm
	City of the Future with no pollution. Where does water go? Household water inputs and outputs. Student worksheet. PDF download.	Onkaparinga Catchment Water Management Board www.onkaparinga.net/education/ downloads/folder_3/ 7a_stormwater_worksheet.pdf
	Think wastewater. Student activity sheet. PDF download.	Onkaparinga Catchment Water Management Board www.onkaparinga.net/education/ downloads/folder_3/ 9a_wastewater_4.pdf

Who Can Help?

Organisation	Who Can Help?
Catchment Water Management Boards	Catchment Water Management Boards (CWMB): North Adelaide & Barossa Catchment Water Management Boards (CWMB): Onkaparinga Catchment Water Management Boards (CWMB): Torrens Catchment Water Management Boards (CWMB): Patawalonga Catchment Water Management Boards (CWMB): River Murray Catchment Water Management Boards (CWMB): South East
Community Action: Local Action Planning Committees	Catchment Water Management Boards (CWMB): River Murray
Local Government	Local Government Association of South Australia
Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed Protection Office	Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed Protection Office
Our Patch/Catchment Care	Catchment Care - North Adelaide and Barossa Catchment Water Management Board (CWMB) Our Patch - Patawalonga and Torrens CWMBs Our Patch - Onkaparinga CWMB
Stormwater Pollution Prevention Projects	Stormwater Pollution Prevention Projects
Waterwatch SA	Waterwatch State Office Waterwatch: Broughton Wakefield Waterwatch: KESAB Patawalonga & Torrens Waterwatch: North Adelaide & Barossa Waterwatch: River Murray (Upper) Waterwatch: River Murray (Lower) Waterwatch: South East Onkaparinga Waterwatch Network

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