Theme 1: Water & Catchments

Topic: What is a Catchment?

A catchment is an area of land that collects water which has drained to the lowest point in an area. This could be a lake, a dam, or the sea. Rain that falls on land will make its way to this lowest point, via creeks, rivers and stormwater systems.

As well as rivers, creeks, lakes and dams, a catchment also includes groundwater, stormwater, wastewater, and water-related infrastructure.

We all live in a catchment and caring for them is everyone's responsibility.

Student Activity Ideas

• Demonstrate a catchment using a tarp or plastic sheet. Raise it slightly along either side so that water poured onto it runs to the middle of the tarp. Turn the demonstration into a catchment model by painting the plastic with water, fields and houses and sticking on plastic trees and animals.
• Show the class the Water: Learning and Living poster. Ask students to use their finger to follow the path of water that has fallen into the catchment as rain.

Enquiry Learning

• What are the physical boundaries of a catchment?
• What are the different types of environments within catchments?
• How large or small can a catchment be?
• What are the physical, biological and chemical processes working within catchments?
• What are the physical, biological and chemical processes that connect a catchment from the top of the watershed to the ocean?

Internet Resources

Type	Description	Resources Covering the Topic
Easy	What is a Catchment? Explanation and web interactives.	KESAB Patawalonga and Torrens Waterwatch www.cwmb.sa.gov.au/kwc/ programs/about_catchments/1.htm
	What is a Catchment Fact Sheet. Simple and clear.	NAB Catchment Board www.nabcatchment.net/ publications/factsheets/ what_is_a_catchment.pdf
	Without Water We Cannot Live. Poster with a message about healthy water and why water is important. Open the links at the bottom of the poster for more information.	Kids for Saving Earth www.kidsforsavingearth.org/ water/water1.htm
	For maps, definitions, plans, community projects, local catchment information.	SA Catchment Water Management Boards www.catchments.net/
	What is a catchment - discussion ideas, plans and hands on activities	Onkaparinga Catchment Water Management Board www.onkaparinga.net/education/ folder_1.shtml#catch
More Comprehensive	What is a catchment?	NSW EPA www.epa.nsw.gov.au/mao/ catchment.htm#what
	Map and interactive tour of the Murray-Darling Basin.	Murray-Darling Basin Commission www.mdbc.gov.au/tour/tour.htm
	How the River Murray was formed.	River Murray Urban Users Committee www.murrayusers.sa.gov.au/ RMformed.htm#The%20River%20 Murray%20and%20the%20Murray-Darling%20Basin
	EPA Backgrounder on Water. The system of interconnected water bodies.	NSW www.epa.nsw.gov.au/soe/ soe2000/bw/bw_1.htm#bw_1_h003

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
Gould League	Gould League
Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed Protection Office	Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed Protection Office
Our Patch/ Catchment Care	Our Patch - Patawalonga and Torrens CWMBs Our Patch - Onkaparinga CWMB Catchment Care - North Adelaide and Barossa Catchment Water Management Board (CWMB)
Urban Forest Biodiversity Program	Urban Forest Biodiversity Program
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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