Exploring the relationship between how we use our water catchments and the quality of the water we drink.

A C l e a n e r G l a s s o f H 2 O

Activities for Middle Childhood to Early Adolescence

Catchment Carers’ Trail

Exploring the relationship between how we use our water catchments and the quality of the water we drink.

A C l e a n e r G l a s s o f H 2 O

Catchment Carers’ Trail

Activities for Middle Childhood to Early Adolescence

Acknowledgments

How to book an excursion

South West (Wellington Discovery Centre and Margaret River EcoDiscovery Centre)

Phone: 9725 4300

Fax: 9725 4351

Excursions run for four hours from 10am to 2pm, allowing time to travel from and back to school.

ContentsPage

Overview 1

Curriculum Links 2

Introduction 3

Key concepts 4

Pre-excursion activities 4

Creating your own water cycle 5The school ground – a catchment? 6What do trees do? 7How many ball game 8Salinity – Situation Critical 9Can I make a difference? Part 1 10

Excursion 11

WelcomeTrail Map and Conundrum 11Station 1 Reservoir Protection Zone 12Station 2 Dieback 12Station 3 History never repeats 13Station 4 Sucked in, up and out 13Station 5 Fitting in – Where are you 15Station 6 Cover up to clean up 16Station 7 Which way do you go? 17Station 8 Mining 19Station 9 Your actions 21Station 10 Fire! 28Station 11 Who cares? 37

Post-excursion activities 40

Key concept - SalinityA salty birthA taste of saltTravelling with salt

Key concept – ErosionMaking rain cloudsThe mighty raindropWater soaksWhich way should I go?

Key concept – Water pollutionThe story of a river

Key concept – Personal choicesFinding a solutionCan I make a difference? Part 2

Glossary

Resources

1Overview

Main learning focusTo broaden teachers’ and students’understanding that human activities in acatchment area affect the quality of waterrunning into our dams and reservoirs, and thatwe can make a difference to water quality bythe actions we choose.

Student will have the opportunity to:

• become aware of some of issues relating towater quality;

• understand what a catchment area is andhow it relates to the water cycle;

• become aware of how the forest surroundinga reservoir (such as Lake C Y O’Connor) iscritical to the quality of water in theweir;

• realise that quality of water dependson good forest and catchmentmanagement practices; and

• understand that the choices wemake as individuals does make adifference to the environment andthe community.

This booklet will assist you to:

• be prepared for your activitiesduring your excursion;

• have a broader understanding ofwater quality issues;

• plan relevant pre- and post-excursion activities; and

•

Using at other locations?

Student activities in this booklet are clearlymarked as pre-excursion or post-excursion in therelevant section. They may be photocopied forclassroom activities.

These notes can be complemented by WaterCorporation Resources and the other resourceshighlighted in Resources Section.

Overview of teacher and student bookRecommended for Years 4 to 8 – Student activities and notes

2 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Rec

omm

enda

tion:

P

rint

onto

A3

pape

r an

den

larg

e to

141

%.

1 S

tude

nts

use

lang

uage

to u

nder

stan

d,de

velo

p an

dco

mm

unic

ate

idea

s an

din

form

atio

n an

d in

tera

ctw

ith o

ther

s.

Cat

chm

ent

Car

ers

Trai

l: S

tude

nts

disc

uss

and

com

plet

e pr

e- a

ndpo

st-e

xcur

sion

act

iviti

esin

the

ir cl

asse

s an

dco

llabo

rate

in s

olvi

ngpr

oble

ms,

und

erta

keha

nds-

on a

ctiv

ities

, rol

e-pl

ay a

nd p

rovi

deso

lutio

ns o

n th

eex

curs

ion

trai

l.

2S

tude

nts

sele

ct,

inte

grat

e an

d ap

ply

num

eric

al a

nd s

patia

lco

ncep

ts a

ndte

chni

ques

.

CC

T: In

pre

- an

d po

st-

excu

rsio

n ac

tiviti

es,

stud

ents

tak

em

easu

rem

ents

as

part

of t

he in

vest

igat

ions

and

unde

rtak

e m

ap-r

eadi

ngex

erci

ses.

Stu

dent

sas

sess

the

top

ogra

phy,

spec

ial e

lem

ents

of

vege

tatio

n, s

lope

and

othe

r as

pect

s of

the

envi

ronm

ent,

exam

ine

the

catc

hmen

t m

odel

and

mea

sure

var

ious

aspe

cts

of t

heen

viro

nmen

t w

hile

unde

rtak

ing

the

excu

rsio

n.

3S

tude

nts

reco

gnis

ew

hen

and

wha

tin

form

atio

n is

nee

ded,

loca

te a

nd o

btai

n it

from

a ra

nge

of s

ourc

es a

ndev

alua

te, u

se a

nd s

hare

it w

ith o

ther

s.

CC

T: W

ithin

the

pre

-an

d po

st-e

xcur

sion

activ

ities

are

oppo

rtun

ities

to

unde

rtak

e in

divi

dual

or

grou

p re

sear

ch. O

n th

eC

CT

excu

rsio

n, s

tude

nts

will

have

hel

p in

iden

tifyi

ng w

hat

info

rmat

ion

from

the

envi

ronm

ent

is u

sefu

lan

d as

pect

s th

at c

an b

em

easu

red

to p

rovi

deda

ta a

nd e

vide

nce.

5S

tude

nts

desc

ribe

and

reas

on a

bout

patte

rns,

str

uctu

res

and

rela

tions

hips

in o

rder

toun

ders

tand

, int

erpr

et,

just

ify a

nd m

ake

pred

ictio

ns.

CC

T: S

tude

nts

expl

ore

and

dete

rmin

ere

latio

nshi

ps w

ithin

the

catc

hmen

t en

viro

nmen

t,st

ruct

ural

asp

ects

of t

heph

ysic

al a

nd b

iotic

envi

ronm

ents

, pat

tern

sof

wat

er fl

ow, l

and

use

and

vege

tatio

n an

dm

ake

pred

ictio

ns a

ndin

terp

ret

caus

es a

ndef

fect

s.

9. S

tude

nts

inte

ract

with

peop

le a

nd c

ultu

res

othe

r th

an th

eir

own

and

are

equi

pped

toco

ntrib

ute

to th

e gl

obal

com

mun

ity.

CC

T: T

hrou

gh t

heex

plor

atio

n of

catc

hmen

ts a

nd t

hem

ultip

le is

sues

, inc

ludi

nghu

man

impa

cts,

tha

t ar

ere

cogn

ised

and

disc

usse

d, s

tude

nts

can

tran

slat

e th

em

etho

dolo

gies

and

issu

es in

inte

ract

ions

with

oth

ers

on a

loca

l or

glob

al s

cale

.

10. S

tude

nts

part

icip

ate

in c

reat

ive

activ

ity o

fth

eir

own

and

unde

rsta

nd a

nd e

ngag

ew

ith th

e ar

tistic

, cul

tura

lan

d in

telle

ctua

l wor

k of

othe

rs.

CC

T: S

tude

nts

rela

te t

oth

e in

telle

ctua

l wor

k in

disc

ussi

ons

of t

hem

ultip

le is

sues

invo

lved

in c

atch

men

tm

anag

emen

t an

dco

nstr

uctio

n of

a d

am.

11. S

tude

nts

valu

e an

dim

plem

ent p

ract

ices

that

prom

ote

pers

onal

grow

th a

nd w

ell b

eing

.

CC

T: S

tude

nts

expl

ore

the

cons

eque

nces

of

thei

r ac

tions

in t

erm

s of

dise

ase

risk

tove

geta

tion,

cho

ices

mad

e in

the

pas

t of

vege

tatio

n ty

pes,

cau

ses

of e

rosi

on a

nd s

alin

ityan

d ho

w t

hese

all

impa

cton

drin

king

wat

er, w

hich

coul

d af

fect

our

hea

lth.

Als

o st

uden

ts o

nex

curs

ions

are

fam

iliaris

ed w

ith p

erso

nal

safe

ty is

sues

in t

hena

tura

l env

ironm

ent

and

avoi

danc

e of

ris

k to

them

selv

es a

nd o

ther

s.

Curr

icul

um F

ram

ewo

rk O

vera

rchi

ng L

earn

ing

Out

com

es4

Stu

dent

s se

lect

, use

and

adap

t tec

hnol

ogie

s.

CC

T: In

res

earc

hing

aspe

cts

of w

ater

catc

hmen

t, st

uden

ts u

seeq

uipm

ent

for

part

icul

arpu

rpos

es t

o ta

kem

easu

rem

ents

and

for

obse

rvat

ion.

6S

tude

nts

visu

alis

eco

nseq

uenc

es, t

hink

late

rally

, rec

ogni

seop

port

unity

and

pot

entia

lan

d ar

e pr

epar

ed to

test

optio

ns.

CC

T: S

tude

nts

sear

ch fo

ran

d te

st e

vide

nce

conc

erni

ng w

ater

drai

nage

, sal

inity

, hum

anim

pact

, veg

etat

ion

chan

ge, t

hink

abo

ut a

rang

e of

cau

ses,

effe

cts

and

cons

eque

nces

of

thes

e is

sues

.

7S

tude

nts

unde

rsta

ndan

d ap

prec

iate

the

phys

ical

, bio

logi

cal a

ndte

chno

logi

cal w

orld

and

have

the

know

ledg

e an

dsk

ills to

mak

e de

cisi

ons

in re

latio

n to

it.

CC

T: S

tude

nts

rela

teca

tchm

ent,

pota

ble

wat

er c

olle

ctio

n an

dst

orag

e w

ithto

pogr

aphy

, soi

l,ve

geta

tion

and

type

s,an

d us

e te

chno

logy

inm

easu

ring

a ra

nge

ofas

pect

s of

the

se.

8S

tude

nts

unde

rsta

ndth

eir

cultu

ral,

geog

raph

ican

d hi

stor

ical

con

text

san

d ha

ve th

ekn

owle

dge,

ski

lls a

ndva

lues

nec

essa

ry fo

rac

tive

part

icip

atio

n in

life

in A

ustr

alia

.

CC

T: S

tude

nts

expl

ore

geog

raph

ical

asp

ects

of

the

catc

hmen

t, so

me

hist

oric

al n

eeds

for

wat

eran

d w

ater

dis

trib

utio

nan

d th

e co

nstr

uctio

n of

the

dam

, and

rel

atin

gco

mm

unity

issu

es a

ndco

ncer

ns w

ithin

thi

sca

tchm

ent.

12S

tude

nts

are

self-

mot

ivat

ed a

nd c

onfid

ent

in th

eir

appr

oach

tole

arni

ng a

nd a

re a

ble

tow

ork

indi

vidu

ally

and

colla

bora

tivel

y.

CC

T: S

tude

nts

wor

kto

geth

er o

n ex

perim

ents

,ex

erci

ses,

han

ds-o

nfo

rest

act

iviti

es a

nddi

scus

sion

s. T

hey

wor

kin

divi

dual

ly a

nd n

eed

tobe

sel

f mot

ivat

ed a

ndha

ve s

elf c

ontr

ol o

n an

excu

rsio

n in

a fo

rest

envi

ronm

ent.

13S

tude

nts

reco

gnis

eth

at e

very

one

has

the

right

to fe

el v

alue

d an

dbe

saf

e, a

nd, i

n th

isre

gard

, und

erst

and

thei

rrig

hts

and

oblig

atio

nsan

d be

have

resp

onsi

bly.

CC

T: S

tude

nts

are

expo

sed

to s

tron

gm

essa

ges

rela

ting

tope

rson

al a

nd o

ther

s’sa

fety

and

car

ing

for

orga

nism

s an

d pl

aces

.Le

ader

s on

the

excu

rsio

n va

lue

the

stud

ents

’ con

trib

utio

nsan

d pe

rson

al s

afet

y.

Curr

icul

um p

lann

ing

for

Catc

hmen

t Car

ers’

Tra

il –

A C

lean

er G

lass

of H

2OE

coE

duc

atio

n in

teg

rate

d le

arni

ng e

xper

ienc

es t

hro

ugh

Sci

ence

and

So

ciet

y an

d E

nviro

nmen

t w

ith c

ross

cur

ricu

lar

links

to

Eng

lish,

un

der

pin

ned

by

the

clus

ter

of

valu

es:

Env

ironm

enta

l Res

po

nsib

ility

and

So

cial

and

Civ

ic R

esp

ons

ibili

ty.

1Th

e sh

aded

num

ber

of o

utco

mes

and

val

ues

are

thos

e th

at a

re m

ost

supp

orte

d by

thi

s re

sour

ce.

Educ

ator

s ca

n se

lect

the

mos

t ap

prop

riate

dep

endi

ng o

n th

eir

stud

ents

’ ap

proa

ch.

Year

leve

l: P

hase

of D

evel

opm

ent:

Ti

mef

ram

e:

1) A

pur

suit

of k

now

ledg

ean

d a

com

mitm

ent t

oac

hiev

emen

t of p

oten

tial.

2) S

elf-

acce

ptan

ce a

ndse

lf-re

spec

t.

Clus

ter

of

Valu

es4

Soc

ial a

nd c

ivic

resp

onsi

bilit

y.5

Envi

ronm

enta

lre

spon

sibi

lity.

3R

espe

ct a

nd c

once

rnfo

r ot

hers

and

thei

rrig

hts

1.1

The

purs

uit o

fpe

rson

al e

xcel

lenc

e.

1.2

Dom

ains

of h

uman

expe

rienc

e.1.

3Em

pow

erm

ent.

1.

4K

now

ledg

e.

2.4

Ope

nnes

s to

lear

ning

. 2.

5In

itiat

ive

and

ente

rpris

e.

4.2

Com

mun

ity.

4.4

Con

tribu

tion.

4.

5A

utho

rity.

4.6

Rec

onci

liatio

n.

4.8

Res

pons

ibilit

y an

dfre

edom

. 4.

9B

enef

its o

fre

sear

ch.

5.1

Cul

tura

l her

itage

. 5.

2C

onse

rvat

ion

of th

een

viro

nmen

t.

5.3

Sus

tain

able

deve

lopm

ent.

5.

4D

iver

sity

of

spec

ies.

3.4

Ope

n le

arni

ngen

viro

nmen

t.

3.5

Indi

vidu

aldi

ffere

nces

.

Co

ncep

ts a

dap

ted

fro

m t

he W

A s

ylla

bus

Ad

apte

d f

rom

the

WA

syl

lab

us

Conc

epts

to

be

lear

nt a

s a

resu

lt o

f th

e Ca

tchm

ent

Care

rs’ T

rail

reso

urce

sA

dap

ted

fro

m t

he s

cop

e an

d s

eque

nce

stat

emen

ts

Bor

row

ed a

nd a

ltere

d fro

m th

eW

A S

cien

ce E

arth

and

Bey

ond

sylla

bus

(Mid

dle

Chi

ldho

od) a

nd L

ife a

nd L

ivin

g(M

iddl

e C

hild

hood

)

*Cha

nges

occ

ur in

the

phys

ical

env

ironm

ent a

s a

resu

lt of

hum

ans

(e.g

. the

impa

ct o

f lan

d cl

earin

g or

deg

rada

tion

on s

alin

ity, e

rosi

on, w

ater

qua

lity

and

habi

tats

, the

impa

ct o

f fire

in c

atch

men

t are

as).

*Lan

d ca

re s

trate

gies

sho

uld

be c

onsi

dere

d be

fore

new

hum

an a

ctiv

ities

or

in c

ases

of d

egra

ded

envi

ronm

ents

(e.g

. Res

ervo

ir P

rote

ctio

n Zo

ne in

redu

cing

ero

sion

and

impr

ovin

g w

ater

qua

lity,

veg

etat

ion

rete

ntio

n or

incr

ease

in c

ritic

al lo

catio

ns to

redu

ce s

alin

ity).

*Whe

n el

emen

ts o

f an

ecos

yste

m d

isap

pear

, or n

ew e

lem

ents

are

intro

duce

d, th

e w

hole

eco

syst

em c

an b

e af

fect

ed (e

.g. p

ine

fore

st re

plac

ing

jarra

h-m

arri

fore

st, c

hang

es in

sur

face

laye

rs s

uch

as le

af li

tter,

redu

ctio

n in

hab

itat,

incr

ease

d w

ater

ero

sion

, red

uctio

n in

wat

er q

ualit

y as

a re

sult

of re

duct

ion

in v

eget

atio

n).

Bor

row

ed fr

om th

e W

A S

ocie

ty a

ndEn

viro

nmen

t syl

labu

s P

lace

and

Spa

ce(M

iddl

e C

hild

hood

)

* Th

ere

are

rela

tions

hips

with

in a

nd b

etw

een

natu

ral s

yste

ms:

dep

ende

nce

and

inte

rdep

ende

nce

(e.g

. wat

er c

ycle

, foo

d w

ebs,

eco

syst

ems)

.

* U

nder

take

an

inve

stig

atio

n of

an

envi

ronm

enta

l iss

ue in

the

loca

l, na

tiona

l and

/or

glob

al c

onte

xt (e

.g. s

alin

ity).

* C

ompa

rison

s ca

n be

mad

e be

twee

n re

sour

ce u

se a

nd m

anag

emen

t (e.

g. s

usta

inab

ility:

eco

syst

em p

rote

ctio

n, d

rinka

ble

wat

er a

nd re

serv

oir

prot

ectio

n zo

nes)

.

* Th

e su

stai

nabi

lity

fact

ors

asso

ciat

ed w

ith p

rodu

ctio

n an

d co

nsum

ptio

n of

a fa

milia

r re

sour

ce (e

.g. w

ater

reso

urce

s: re

new

able

/sca

rce;

use

of u

tiliti

es in

drin

king

wat

er p

rodu

ctio

n; d

ispo

sal/r

euse

and

recy

clin

g of

wat

er a

nd b

y-pr

oduc

ts; h

ealth

issu

es fo

r pr

oduc

ers

and

cons

umer

s; h

ow th

e re

sour

ce is

use

d).

* S

patia

l pat

tern

s ar

e sh

own

usin

g di

ffere

nt s

ourc

es (e

.g. c

limat

ic a

nd p

hysi

cal m

aps:

topo

grap

hic

map

s: c

onto

ur, r

iver

s; to

pogr

aphi

c m

odel

and

its

use)

* S

usta

inab

le u

se o

f par

ticul

ar la

ndsc

apes

and

the

wid

er e

nviro

nmen

t inv

olve

s br

oad-

base

d co

mm

unity

coo

pera

tion*

(Civ

ics

and

Citi

zens

hip)

(e.g

. her

itage

val

ues,

bio

dive

rsity

, Res

ervo

ir P

rote

ctio

n Zo

ne, c

onse

rvat

ion)

.

* G

eogr

aphi

c in

quiry

can

be

assi

sted

thro

ugh

stra

tegi

c qu

estio

ning

(e.g

. vis

ioni

ng q

uest

ions

– W

hat d

o w

e ne

ed to

do

to a

chie

ve a

bal

ance

that

will

satis

fy a

ll gr

oups

that

hav

e st

rong

vie

ws

rega

rdin

g w

ater

pro

visi

on fo

r co

nsum

ers?

Per

sona

l inv

ento

ry q

uest

ions

– W

hat i

s yo

ur v

iew

rega

rdin

g w

ater

pro

visi

on?

Cha

nge

ques

tions

– W

hat d

o yo

u ne

ed to

do

to c

larif

y th

is s

ituat

ion

and

brin

g ab

out a

bet

ter

solu

tion?

).

Bor

row

ed fr

om S

cien

ce E

arth

and

Bey

ond

(Ear

ly A

dole

scen

ce)

* H

uman

s us

e a

rang

e of

reso

urce

s to

pro

vide

for

thei

r w

ay o

f life

(e.g

. use

of w

ater

for

drin

king

, gar

dens

, sw

imm

ing

pool

s an

d w

ashi

ng a

nd s

ewag

e).

* Ef

fect

of r

esou

rce

use

on th

e en

viro

nmen

t (e.

g. h

abita

t des

truct

ion,

loss

of t

opso

il, s

alin

ity a

nd c

limat

e ch

ange

).

* tre

nds

in e

nviro

nmen

tal c

hang

e an

d po

pula

tions

and

thei

r ef

fect

s on

eac

h ot

her

(e.g

. ris

ing

salin

ity, d

eser

tific

atio

n, lo

ss o

f bio

dive

rsity

and

effe

cts

on e

ach

othe

r an

d w

ater

sup

ply)

.

* m

atte

r is

cyc

led

thro

ugh

ecos

yste

ms

(e.g

. car

bon,

oxy

gen,

wat

er).

3Curriculum Links

Inve

stig

atio

nEx

ampl

e: In

vest

igat

e th

e m

any

uses

of f

ores

ted

wat

erca

tchm

ents

, and

the

way

sth

ese

uses

can

impa

ct o

n th

ena

tura

l env

ironm

ent a

nd th

epr

oduc

tion

of c

lean

wat

er.

Stu

dent

s co

uld:

•B

rain

stor

m u

ses

of fo

rest

edca

tchm

ents

as

a to

pic

and

devi

se fo

cus

ques

tions

toas

sist

in in

vest

igat

ing

fore

stus

es (P

lann

ing

Inve

stig

atio

ns).

•Lo

cate

and

sel

ect f

ores

ted

catc

hmen

t inf

orm

atio

n us

ing

key

wor

ds a

nd s

ubje

ct te

rms

(Con

duct

ing

Inve

stig

atio

ns).

•S

harin

g un

ders

tand

ings

of

thei

r fo

rest

ed c

atch

men

tin

vest

igat

ions

thro

ugh

oral

repo

rts,

gra

phs,

mod

els,

writ

ten

repo

rts.

Rec

ount

s,pr

oced

ures

and

list

s(E

valu

atin

g an

d A

pply

ing

Find

ings

).

Inve

stig

atio

nEx

ampl

e: In

vest

igat

e th

e w

ayin

whi

ch c

atch

men

ts (n

atur

alan

d ar

tific

ial)

are

part

of t

heen

viro

nmen

t we

live

in.

Stu

dent

s co

uld:

•D

escr

ibe

catc

hmen

t are

asth

at th

ey li

ve in

– b

oth

natu

ral a

nd a

rtifi

cial

(Fea

ture

sof

Pla

ces)

.•

Des

crib

e ho

w p

eopl

e ad

apt

to n

atur

al fo

rest

edca

tchm

ent a

reas

and

util

ise

reso

urce

s in

thes

eca

tchm

ents

(Peo

ple

and

Pla

ces)

.•

Des

crib

e ho

w h

uman

s ha

vem

odifi

ed n

atur

al fo

rest

edca

tchm

ent a

reas

(Peo

ple

and

Pla

ces)

.•

Iden

tify

issu

es th

at a

rise

from

the

mod

ifica

tion

and

pollu

tion

of fo

rest

edca

tchm

ent a

reas

(Car

e an

dP

lace

s).

Inve

stig

atio

nEx

ampl

e: In

vest

igat

e ho

wS

tate

fore

st c

an b

e co

nser

ved

for

mul

tipur

pose

use

i.e.

the

prov

isio

n of

wat

er, n

atur

eco

nser

vatio

n, b

iodi

vers

ity,

recr

eatio

n as

wel

l as

timbe

ran

d m

iner

al re

sour

ces.

Stu

dent

s co

uld:

•ou

tline

how

Sta

te fo

rest

reso

urce

s, p

artic

ular

ly w

ater

,ca

n be

con

serv

ed fo

r th

efu

ture

(use

of R

esou

rces

);an

d•

desc

ribe

how

fore

sts

can

beco

nser

ved

thro

ugh

the

use

of in

nova

tive

fore

stm

anag

emen

t pra

ctic

es e

.g.

Sci

entif

ical

ly p

lann

edpr

escr

ibed

bur

ning

and

logg

ing

prac

tices

,es

tabl

ishm

ent o

f stre

amsi

dere

serv

es, c

ontro

l of d

ieba

ckdi

seas

e, le

gisl

atio

n an

dco

ntro

l of m

inin

g pr

actic

es(M

anag

emen

t and

Ente

rpris

e).

Inve

stig

atio

nEx

ampl

e: In

vest

igat

e th

eim

port

ance

of w

ater

to re

gion

sth

roug

hout

Wes

tern

Aus

tral

ia(e

.g. i

n th

e pa

st, a

t pre

sent

and

for

the

futu

re (G

oldf

ield

san

d A

gric

ultu

ral r

egio

ns)).

Stu

dent

s co

uld:

•se

lect

wat

er-r

elat

edin

form

atio

n fro

m a

var

iety

of

sour

ces

(pho

tos,

inte

rnet

,pa

mph

lets

, vid

eos,

loca

lhi

stor

ies)

;•

mak

e a

timel

ine

trac

ing

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f the

Gol

dfie

lds

and

Agr

icul

tura

lW

ater

Sup

ply

Sch

eme

(Tim

ean

d C

hang

e); a

nd•

iden

tify

even

ts th

at le

d to

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f a s

uita

ble

wat

er s

uppl

y fo

r th

eG

oldf

ield

s R

egio

n(In

terp

reta

tions

and

Per

spec

tives

).

Inve

stig

atio

nEx

ampl

e: In

vest

igat

e ho

w th

epa

thw

ays

of w

ater

from

rai

ncl

ouds

to a

rese

rve

in a

fore

sted

cat

chm

ent a

re p

art o

fth

e w

ater

cyc

le.

Stu

dent

s co

uld:

•id

entif

y el

emen

ts o

f the

wat

ercy

cle

in fo

rest

ed c

atch

men

tsan

d th

e ro

le th

ey p

lay

with

inth

e en

viro

nmen

t (N

atur

alS

yste

ms)

;•

give

reas

ons

for

regu

latio

ns in

fore

sted

cat

chm

ents

and

arou

nd re

serv

oirs

(Pol

itica

lan

d Le

gal);

and

•

expl

ain

that

our

rig

ht to

enj

oyre

crea

tion

in fo

rest

edca

tchm

ents

is d

epen

dent

on

thei

r pr

otec

tion

(Pol

itica

l and

Lega

l Sys

tem

s).

Inve

stig

atio

nEx

ampl

e: A

dopt

cor

rect

beha

viou

rs in

resp

ect o

f the

use

of re

sour

ces

that

are

obta

ined

from

fore

sted

catc

hmen

ts a

t hom

e, a

tsc

hool

, in

the

com

mun

ity a

ndw

hen

visi

ting

fore

sted

catc

hmen

ts.

Stu

dent

s co

uld:

•de

mon

stra

te th

at th

ey h

ave

an u

nder

stan

ding

of t

hepr

oble

ms

asso

ciat

ed w

ithex

cess

ive

an c

arel

ess

cons

umpt

ion

of fo

rest

edca

tchm

ent r

esou

rces

suc

has

wat

er, p

aper

and

tim

ber;

•ta

ke a

ctio

n at

sch

ool t

ole

sson

thei

r co

nsum

ptio

n of

reso

urce

s; a

nd•

take

act

ion

at h

ome

and

whe

n vi

sitin

g fo

rest

edca

tchm

ents

to re

duce

thei

rim

pact

on

that

env

ironm

ent.

Idea

s fo

r In

vest

igat

ions

ass

oci

ated

with

Cat

chm

ent

Car

ers

Trai

lCu

rric

ulum

Fra

mew

ork

So

ciet

y an

d E

nviro

nmen

t Le

arni

ng O

utco

mes

1In

vest

igat

ion,

Com

mun

icat

ion

and

Par

ticip

atio

n

Stu

dent

s in

vest

igat

e th

e w

ays

in w

hich

peo

ple

inte

ract

with

each

oth

er a

nd w

ith th

eir

envi

ronm

ents

in o

rder

to m

ake

info

rmed

dec

isio

ns a

ndim

plem

ent r

elev

ant s

ocia

lac

tion.

2P

lace

and

Sp

ace

Stu

dent

s un

ders

tand

that

the

inte

ract

ion

that

peo

ple

have

with

pla

ces

in w

hich

they

live

is s

hape

d by

the

loca

tion,

and

patte

rns

and

proc

esse

sas

soci

ated

with

nat

ural

and

built

feat

ures

.

3R

esou

rces

Stu

dent

s un

ders

tand

that

peop

le a

ttem

pt to

mee

t the

irne

eds

by m

akin

g op

timum

use

of li

mite

d r e

sour

ces

inen

terp

risin

g w

ays.

4Ti

me,

Con

tinui

ty a

ndC

hang

e

Stu

dent

s un

ders

tand

that

peop

le’s

act

ions

and

val

ues

are

shap

ed b

y th

eir

unde

rsta

ndin

gan

d in

terp

reta

tion

of th

e pa

st.

5N

atur

al a

nd S

ocia

lS

yste

ms

Stu

dent

s un

ders

tand

that

syst

ems

prov

ide

orde

r to

the

dyna

mic

nat

ural

and

soc

ial

rela

tions

hips

occ

urrin

g in

the

wor

ld.

6A

ctiv

e C

itize

nshi

p

Stu

dent

s de

mon

stra

te a

ctiv

eci

tizen

ship

thro

ugh

thei

rbe

havi

ours

and

pra

ctic

es in

the

scho

ol e

nvir o

nmen

t, in

acco

rdan

ce w

ith th

e pr

inci

ples

and

valu

es a

ssoc

iate

d w

ith th

ede

moc

ratic

pro

cess

, soc

ial

just

ice

and

ecol

ogic

alsu

stai

nabi

lity.

4 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

At t

he s

ite, s

tude

nts

coul

d in

vest

igat

e:•

the

phys

ical

env

ironm

ent,

such

as

the

suita

bilit

yof

the

soil

or ro

ck ty

pe fo

r dr

aina

ge a

nd th

epr

oxim

ity to

wat

er s

uppl

ies;

•

the

natu

re a

nd s

lope

of t

he s

urfa

ce;

•th

e bi

olog

ical

hab

itat i

n th

e ar

ea; a

nd

•w

heth

er th

ese

feat

ures

will

prom

ote

or re

duce

eros

ion

and

turb

idity

of w

ater

whe

n it

reac

hes

the

dam

.S

tude

nts

can

devi

se a

n hy

poth

esis

, suc

h as

rock

y so

il ty

pe, w

ill er

ode

less

than

silt

. The

y ca

nth

en p

lan

an e

xper

imen

t to

show

that

sta

tem

ent

as c

orre

ct o

r in

corr

ect.

They

iden

tify

the

inde

pend

ent v

aria

ble

(soi

l typ

e) a

nd th

ede

pend

ent v

aria

ble

(ero

sion

or

mov

emen

t of s

oil).

Then

des

crib

e m

etho

dolo

gy. F

or e

xam

ple,

wat

erfro

m a

wat

erin

g ca

n sp

raye

d on

a s

lope

of g

rave

l(ro

cky

soil)

and

spr

ayed

on

a sl

ope

(sam

e an

gle)

of s

ilt. O

bser

ve th

e re

sult.

Rec

ord

obse

rvat

ions

and

writ

e a

conc

lusi

on. T

he c

oncl

usio

n sh

ould

rela

te to

the

hypo

thes

is. F

or e

xam

ple,

the

rock

yso

il er

oded

less

than

the

silty

soi

l. Th

en s

tude

nts

shou

ld a

ttem

pt a

n ex

plan

atio

n ba

sed

on s

cien

ceth

ey a

lread

y kn

ow. F

or e

xam

ple,

rock

par

ticle

sar

e he

avie

r th

an s

ilt a

nd a

re le

ss li

kely

to m

ove

ison

e ex

plan

atio

n.

Stu

dent

s co

uld:

•in

vest

igat

e ev

iden

ce o

f hum

an im

pact

on

the

envi

ronm

ent a

nd c

omm

ent o

n co

nseq

uenc

es;

•de

scrib

e th

e im

pact

they

are

hav

ing

as a

cla

ssin

und

erta

king

the

excu

rsio

n an

d w

ays

tore

duce

thei

r ef

fect

; and

•di

scus

s th

e R

PZ

and

Leav

e N

o Tr

ace

prin

cipl

es a

s so

lutio

ns in

redu

cing

hum

anim

pact

in a

n ar

ea.

Stu

dent

s co

uld:

•de

scrib

e ho

w s

usta

inab

ility

of li

fe is

depe

nden

t on

the

qual

ity a

nd a

vaila

bilit

y of

wat

er;

•ex

plai

n w

hy ro

ck is

a b

ette

r su

rface

for

dam

catc

hmen

ts th

an s

ilt o

r cl

ay a

nd d

escr

ibe

the

proc

ess

of e

rosi

on a

nd w

hy th

at c

ould

be d

etrim

enta

l to

dam

cat

chm

ents

;•

desc

ribe

how

min

ing

site

s co

uld

bere

habi

litat

ed to

redu

ce w

ater

pol

lutio

npr

oble

ms

from

the

site

and

redu

ctio

n of

vege

tatio

n di

seas

es;

•de

scrib

e ho

w fi

res

in a

wat

er s

uppl

yca

tchm

ent c

ould

affe

ct w

ater

qua

lity;

and

•de

scrib

e ho

w s

alt b

uild

s up

in a

land

scap

ean

d w

hy it

is a

par

ticul

ar p

robl

em in

wat

ersu

pply

are

as.

Stu

dent

s co

uld:

•us

e th

e ec

osys

tem

with

in th

e ca

tchm

ent

bein

g st

udie

d to

des

crib

e th

e re

latio

nshi

psbe

twee

n th

e or

gani

sms,

suc

h as

faun

a an

dve

geta

tion,

and

the

non-

livin

g pa

rts

of th

een

viro

nmen

t suc

h as

the

soil,

wat

erev

apor

atio

n an

d w

ater

run

off;

•de

scrib

e ho

w c

ells

, see

ds a

nd ti

ssue

sre

spon

d to

sal

t. W

hy is

sal

t a p

robl

em if

ther

e w

ere

high

leve

ls in

wat

er s

uppl

ies?

Doe

s th

e W

orld

Hea

lth O

rgan

isat

ion

have

apo

sitio

n on

sal

inity

in d

rinki

ng w

ater

and

wha

t is

it?;

•ex

plai

n w

hy s

alin

ity re

duce

s bi

odiv

ersi

ty; a

nd•

expl

ain

how

jarr

ah d

ieba

ck re

duce

sbi

odiv

ersi

ty a

nd a

ffect

s w

ater

sup

ply

catc

hmen

ts. H

ow d

oes

jarr

ah d

ieba

ck k

illtre

es?

Res

earc

h w

hich

oth

er d

isea

ses

may

affe

ct v

eget

atio

n, w

hich

then

may

hav

ede

trim

enta

l affe

cts

on c

atch

men

ts.

Idea

s fo

r d

iscu

ssio

ns, I

nves

tigat

ions

, ass

ignm

ents

ass

oci

ated

with

Cat

chm

ent

Car

ers

Trai

l.Cu

rric

ulum

Fra

mew

ork

Sci

ence

Lea

rnin

g O

utco

mes

1In

vest

igat

ing

Stu

dent

s in

vest

igat

e to

ans

wer

que

stio

ns a

bout

the

natu

ral a

nd te

chno

logi

cal w

orld

usi

ngre

flect

ion

and

anal

ysis

to p

repa

re a

pla

n; to

colle

ct, p

roce

ss a

nd in

terp

r et d

ata;

toco

mm

unic

ate

conc

lusi

ons;

and

toev

alua

te th

eir

plan

, pro

cedu

res

and

findi

ngs.

4A

ctin

g R

esp

onsi

bly

Stu

dent

s m

ake

deci

sion

s th

at in

clud

e et

hica

lco

nsid

erat

ion

of th

e im

pact

of t

he p

roce

sses

and

likel

y pr

oduc

ts o

f sci

ence

on

peop

le a

nd th

een

viro

nmen

t.

6E

arth

and

Bey

ond

Stu

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5Introduction

IntroductionMany teachers would be familiar withEcoEducation’s Catchment Carers’ Trail, developedmore than13 years ago by the former SeniorEcoEducation Leader Liz Moore and her team. Thisnew package, Catchment Carers’ Trail - A CleanerGlass of H20, builds on the initial program.

Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2Ofocuses on water quality issues, protection andconservation of the water source, the importanceof catchments and the personal choices studentscan make while in the natural environment tohelp improve water quality.

Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2OEcoEducation excursion is a conducted, four-hour,hands-on program that explores personal choicesand water quality. From this, students realise thatthey can make a difference by their personalchoices and by introducing thisempowerment to their schools and localenvironment to make positive changes.

This booklet is designed for teachers andstudents and contains the background to theexcursion as well as pre- and post-excursionactivities, a glossary, and useful resourcessection. It is an integral part of the CatchmentCarers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O excursion.

This program also complements the WaterCorporation’s Waterwise Schools Program, socontact the Water Coorporation about their‘Water is Our Future’ Teacher Resource Files foradditional water-related curriculum activities.

As mentioned earlier, this package is intendedto be used at a range of locations in the south-west. We have tried to keep specific data and specific locations out of the materials.Please, do not be afraid to cut, paste, delete

and add to this package to suit your needs.

6 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Key conceptsWater, a life-giving resource fromforestsWater is one of the most important resources weobtain from forests. It is vital for all living things.Careful forest management is necessary to ensurethat our present and future water needs can be met.

In 2009, 27 per cent of Perth’s water needs aresupplied by four large reservoirs in the jarrah forest– Canning Dam, Serpentine Dam, and the Southand North Dandalup dams. A fifth dam, Lake C. Y.O’Connor provides some water to Perth, but theeastern hills, the Wheatbelt, and the Goldfields asfar away as Kalgoorlie and Norseman, are its mainrecipients.

Where does the water come from?The diagram below shows the water cycle. Somewater cycle diagrams may or may not indicate thebelow ground part of the cycle, some show treeroots only, others aquifers, percolation or water table.

But what happens when humanactivity interferes with the cycle?Human activities generally have a negative impactupon the cycle, reducing the quantity and qualityof water, and altering the rate of movement ofwater moving through the cycle.

Moisture-bearing clouds from above the IndianOcean are carried by winter winds and forced upand over the Darling Scarp, bringing rain to thecoastal plain and the western edge of the scarp.Further east, rainfall declines. The rain falls intocatchment areas, with the runoff feeding the damsin State forests and national parks.

For example, the Mundaring Weircatchment is the area of landwhich collects rainfall, and drainsby way of surface andunderground streams into theHelena and Darkin rivers and theninto the reservoir. This area of1,470 square kilometres extendsfrom farmlands as far east asYork, south to the Brookton Highway and north tothe Great Eastern Highway.

Forty per cent of the water in the reservoir ispumped from the Lower Helena Dam downstreamof the Mundaring Weir.

For school groups visiting other EcoEducationcentres, specific details on the catchment story canbe provided on request.

Do forests and their users affectwater supplies?Forests determine the quantity, rate and quality ofwater which flows into streams and then into dams.Although the forests around the Mundaring Weirare managed primarily as a water catchment theyhave a number of other values including for wildlifeand nature conservation, timber production,mining, education, honey production, wildflowerindustry, tourism, recreation and research.

People and their vehicles in the catchment area mayincrease the risk of water pollution through soilerosion, vegetation loss from dieback disease, andwildfires. To prevent these there must be integratedcatchment management, the coordinated planning,use and management of water, land, vegetationand other natural resources.

The Department of therefore works closely with the Water

Corporation, other agencies andthe community, and activelypromotes the concept thatpeople within the catchmentneed to care for the catchment.

This program invites students toexplore and investigate a numberof issues affecting the harvesting,gathering and collecting of waterto our storage facilities. This is notthe full range of issues, but somethat are considered to be ofhigher importance. Issues furtherdown the supply chain of waterto the community are not in thescope of the program.

Source – Gladstone Area Water Board (www.gawb.qld.gov.au)

A C l e a n e r g l a s s o f H 2 O

Catchment Carers’ Trail

Pre-excursion activities

Exploring the relationship between how we use our watercatchment and the quality of the water we drink.

9

You will need• 1.25 or two-litre clear plastic soft drink

bottles

• potting mix or sandy soil

• seeds or small plants

• thin rod

• masking tape

• scissors or Stanley knife

What to do1. Cut the container with scissors or Stanley

knife about a quarter of the way up thebottle.

2. Place soil 2.5 to 5cm deep in the bottom ofit and moisten with water.

3. Plant seeds or small live plants into the soilusing the thin rod. Also put in stones, etc tomake a natural effect.

4. Join the top and bottom sections with a strip of masking tape.

5. Tape on a lid and make thecontainer airtight.

6. Put your bottle in a placewhere it will receive indirectsunlight and monitor overseveral weeks/months.

POE (Predict ObserveExplain)• What would happen if you

placed several drops of oil onthe soil on one side of thecontainer?

• What would happen if youunscrewed the lid off thebottle?

• What would happen if youput the container in more sunlight?

Teachers’ notes• Some teachers may prefer to make the

experiment a little more scientific by findingthe mass of the bottle, soil and plants, thevolume of water of the water etc and thenmeasuring the combined mass at regularintervals to see if any changes take place.

• This model illustrates a closed system. Allecosystems on Earth are part of a globalclosed system.

• An aesthetic point: If students construct themodel tastefully using a suitable container,colourful plants and eye-catching contentsthe finished product becomes a terrariumthat would be suitable for a present.

• A short explanation of the water cycle isincluded in the key concepts page, also referto useful resources page.

Activities adapted from Foster, D, Robb, J and Yorkston, T(1995) Waterwatch and Your Catchment. DPI, Queensland.

Creating your own water cycle

Concept/Issue – The water cycle connects with all parts of the environment.

Students: create a model that demonstrates the water cycle; and show the finite aspects of our global resources.

Pre-excursion activites

10 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Questions/actions1. What happens to the water in your

schoolyard when it rains?

2. Draw a map of the school grounds.

a. Mark on the boundary and the buildings.

b. Locate the high and low areas in yourschool ground and mark these areas onthe map. Describe any differencesbetween the high and low areas.

c. Find areas that would act as miniaturerivers in the event of heavy rain. Drawthese onto your map of the school ground.

3. How does your school ground form acatchment?

a. Mark onto your map any smallcatchments or sub-catchments within thelarger school catchment.

b. How do you think that slope affects thewater as it flows?

c. What will happen to an area of bare soilon a slope as water flows over it?

4. Are there areas of the school that drain intosurrounding properties?

a. What would happen if litter covered theschool grounds before a storm? Wherewould it end up?

5. Are there other properties that drain into theschool grounds?

a. What would happen if just before a stormthe landowner sprayed their lawns withweedkiller? Whose lawns could die andwhy?

Issue – Everyone lives in a catchment.

Students: explore the boundaries of catchments within the school grounds.

Pre-excursion activites

The schoolground – a catchment?

HintBy following a rolling ball you will get anidea of where the water will flow.

11

Part A - Sucked in and up

You will need• a fresh celery stalk with leaves

• red or blue food dye

• container to hold water

• a sharp knife

What to do1. Cut about 2cm off the bottom of the celery

stalk.

2. Add the dye to the water until it is dark redor blue.

3. Place the celery in the jar and leave for 24hours (see figure below).

4. After 24 hours, remove the celery and cut off the bottom 2cm.

Questions1. What do you see?

2. Cut again 6cm higher. What do you see here?

3. Scrape the edge of the celery stalk. What has happened to the dye?

4. What does this tell you about how watermoves through a plant?

Part B - Trees breathing?

You will need• clear plastic bag

(such as largefreezer bag)

• twist tie or string

What to do1. Find a tree with low branches, or a shrub.

2. Place a bag over a branch containing at leastsix leaves.

3. Close the opening by tying around the branchwith twist tie or string (see figure below).

4. Leave for 24 hours.

5. Examine the bag without removing it.

Questions/actions1. What do you see in the bag?

2. Note other observations (if any).

3. Explain your observations (think back to part A).

4. Where does the water come from? (seeprevious experiment)

Challenge questions1. When trees are cleared and replaced with

grasses or crops, would you expect more orless groundwater to be used? Explain youranswer.

2. Trees have deep roots compared with grassesand crops. Do you think trees or crops wouldmore easily survive a drought? Explain why.

3. If trees were cut down, what might happen tothe watertable?

4. What other changes might occur in thecatchment basin if many trees were cut down?Explain your answer.

What do trees do?

Concept/Issue – Trees play an important role in taking up ground water.

Students: show how plants transport water; andhypothesise what role this plays in a catchment area.

Pre-excursion activites

Activities adapted from Foster, D, Robb, J and Yorkston, T (1995) Waterwatch and Your Catchment. DPI, Queensland.

12 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

You will need• Lots of tennis or foam balls

Setting for activityA gully or area with a slight gradient.

What to do• Students are divided into two groups, one

third in Group ‘A’, two thirds in Group ‘B’.

Part A – Tree removal• Group B stand on the slope, scattered

randomly, like trees in a forest. They are thetrees.

• Group A stands at the top with several ballsfor each student. The students are the rainclouds, the balls are the raindrops.

• The rain clouds gently throw the balls up intothe air so they land among the trees. Thetrees have to catch as many balls as they canwhile standing still, they can not bend downand pick them up off the ground. The ballsthat are not caught are the runoff.

• Now take some of the trees away andperform the exercise again. What happenedand why? There should be more runoff withfewer trees.

• Take even more trees away so that only afew students remain and perform theexercise again. What happened and why?There will be even more runoff and the treeswon’t be able to prevent the rain fromhitting the ground.

ConclusionThe students will be able the see the ‘raindrops’running down the slope without beingintercepted by the trees. By removing trees theywill be able to observe more runoff.

Trees have in important role in intercepting rainfall and reducing the amount of runoff that occurs. By intercepting rainfall more water has the chance of infiltrating, or soaking into, the ground.

Part B – Stormy weather• Repeat the set-up as above.

• This time the rain clouds gently throw alltheir balls up into the air at once so theyland among the trees. The trees have tocatch as many balls as they can whilestanding still, they can not bend down andpick them up off the ground. The balls thatare not caught are the runoff.

• How was this different from Part A?Difference in runoff? Why?

• Now take some of the trees away andperform the exercise again. What happenedand why? There will be even more runoffand the trees won’t be able to prevent therain from hitting the ground.

ConclusionThe students will be able the visually see thatstorms produce more runoff than normal rain.Removing trees only makes the situation worse.

ExtensionStudents have to redesign the student numbersto represent a rainforest or a desert. Allowstudents to explain why they made the changesand what they predict the result would be if thegame was played.

How many? Ball game

Issue – Tree density effects runoff

Students: shows the effect decreasing the number of trees on a slope and the effect on runoff.

Pre-excursion activites

13

Salinity – Situation critical

Concept/Issue - Salinity

Student: better understands one of the causes of salinity and the solution to the issue.

Pre-excursion activites

Salt in Lake C Y O’ConnorRead the article by Penny Hussey, ‘Salt in Lake C Y O’Connor’, then answer the following.

1 Water from Lake C Y O’Connor supplies water for what areas?

2 There are currently two main problems facing the weir. They are

3 In the past, salinity problems have been fixed twice before with what method?

4 What is the desirable level of salt in drinking water (include the units) ?

5 As the dam was being constructed, how many acres of trees were ringbarked, and what happenedto the salinity level?

6 What is ringbarking? How does it affect the tree? (Answer is not in the article)

7 At Flynn’s farm, a monoculture of trees was planted. During the next 30 years what happened?(Give as much detail as possible)

8 What is the lesson we should learn from this experience?

9 Recently about 3% of the Mundaring Weir catchment was cleared. Salinity has risen because of this.

a) How do you think we can overcome the salinity problem?

b) What ‘rules’ can we put in place to stop the problem reoccurring in the future?

14 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

15

On the following page is a diagram that illustrates, side by side, good and poor catchments and whathappens within them.

Can I make a difference? - Part 1

Concept/Issue – Personal choices make a difference.

Student: investigate their own perceptions of water quality issues.

Pre-excursion activites

What is good and poor within the catchment?1 Study the diagram for two minutes without writing anything.

2 You now have four minutes to highlight all the good and poor things that are happening thateffect the water quality. Try circling an issue and number it, then in the space below explain whatis positive or negative about this issue. Remember to focus only on water quality issues.

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

Available from Queensland Waterwatch Waterwatch,http://www.qld.waterwatch.org.au/images/resources/poster_healthycatchment.jpg

16 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Image courtesy of Waterwatch Queensland, Department of Natural Resources and Water (www.qld.waterwatch.org.au).

A C l e a n e r g l a s s o f H 2 O

Catchment Carers’ Trail

Excursion activities

Exploring the relationship between how we use our watercatchment and the quality of the water we drink.

19

Welcome to the Catchment Carers’ Trail

The Catchment Carers’ Trail starts at the

through to the Mundaring Weir. Along the waythere are several vegetation changes and goodviews of Lake C Y O’Connor. The trail runsthrough the forest, along the side of a stream,past Lake C Y O’Connor to the C Y O’Connormemorial above the Mundaring Weir.

Along the trail there are 11 stations. Thesenotes give background information for you andyour students on water quality issues that arethe basis of activities at each station.

When you arrive at the Perth Hills Centre for your excursion:

•

•

Enjoy your day in the forest!

Excursion activites

20 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Trail map and conundrum

Now solve this conundrum:I have listed every Carer

But there’s one more left to see

Someone who uses water, and paper from the tree

I know – it must be _ _ !

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Cut here before copying for your students

Answers (Clues in italics) in order of appearance on the trail

A – Teacher = Educator; B – Leader = C – Pine Tree = Forester/Logger; D – Bush Walking Sign = Recreator/Bush WalkerE – Operation Fox Glove = Researcher; F – Bird Nesting box = Conservationist G – peep holes to quarry = Miner; H – Beehive = ApiaristI – Scenic Lookout Sign = Tourist; J – Hakea tree = Wildflower grower/seed collectorK – Water Corporation Sign = Water Corporation Employee

Excursion activites

21

Excursion activites

Effect on water qualityBy limiting the activity of people within theReservoir Protection Zone (RPZ), the native forestcan effectively play its role in filtering water ofcontaminants before it reaches the reservoir.

Overview of field work at stationStudents investigate the role and location of theMundaring Weir RPZ. The need for this zone ishighlighted and what students can do when theyare in RPZs and near water bodies in general.

Background notes

Importance of water qualityThe quality of water being pumped from theMundaring Weir, and other water-storagebodies needs to be of a high quality.Consequently, any human activities within theimmediate catchment area that adversely impacton water quality need to be managed carefully.Recreational uses are controlled, mainly toreduce the chances of erosion.

What is an RPZ?An RPZ is a specially designated part of thecatchment that is managed to control theeffects of human activity on water quality. AnRPZ is normally an area of catchment within twokilometres of the high water mark.

Natural biological filtersNative forests have the capacity to filter outcontaminants from surface water before theyreach water bodies. Organic matter (leaves,twigs and living vegetation) traps soil particlesand other suspended materials cleaning thesurface water as it flows through. Good-qualitynative forests surrounding our water bodies areimportant for good quality water.

Increasing pressuresThe need for RPZs has arisen from increasedrecreational use of areas surrounding waterbodies. With increasing populations, greateraccess to the natural environment and increasedpopularity of some forms of recreation such asmotorbike and quad bike riding and four-wheeldriving, RPZ areas around water bodies areneeded to protect the water we are going todrink.

Issue - To protect the reservoir from contamination, a protection area is needed.

Additional activities

Pre-visit activities Think, pair, share about the effects of arange of activities on water quality and ifthere should be controls. For example, whatis the effect of walking, motorbike riding,camping and horse riding on water bodies?Should these activities be kept a minimumdistance away from water bodies? Why?

Post-visit activitiesInvestigate which dams and weirs areprotected by RPZs in Western Australia’ssouth-west.

Reservoir Protection ZoneStation 1

22 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Excursion activites

Effect on water qualityIntroduced organisms have the potential todisrupt the natural ecosystem, with a follow-ondisruption to the water cycle in the catchment.

Overview of field work at stationStudents investigate dieback and its effect on thejarrah-marri forest and discover how they can help control the spread of this introduced disease.

Background notes

DRAParts of the jarrah forest are at high risk of diebackdisease – caused by the introduced pathogen, orwater mould, Phytophthora cinnamomi. Some areas are declared as Disease Risk Areas (DRA) toreduce the spread of the pathogen.

Water mouldDieback lives in the soil and attacks the roots ofplants, starving them of water and nutrients untilthey die. In south-west Western Australia, it isestimated that of the 5,700 species of plants, as many as 2,300 are susceptible to dieback.

InfestationDieback spreads rapidly in waterand moist soil, travelling fromroot to root. However, itcan be more quickly andwidely spread throughinfested soil being carried onvehicles, horses, motorbikes and shoes.

Risk of infestation is greatest during the wetseason, but spores (reproductive bodies) cansurvive long periods of dry before becomingactive after rain.

PreventionAs there is no known cure for dieback disease soit is crucial the spread of it is controlled.

Phosphite, a chemical, is used to help plantsresist dieback. Phosphite can be injected into thestem or it can be sprayed on plants to control ofthe disease for a period of time.

ControlPeople moving through the forest should, andmust, take personal measures to control thespread of dieback. A mild bleach solution orMethylated spirits can be sprayed onto yourboots or tyres of vehicles and bikes, or onhorses legs and other vehicles to kill the sporesand reduce the spread of the disease.

Effect on the ecosystem The loss of canopy cover and plants causes theunderstorey to become hotter and colder, aswell as drier, reducing their rate of survival inchanged these conditions. This then impacts onthe animals that require plant resources forsurvival in a flow-on effect. The net effect is aloss of biodiversity and a change in the balancewithin the forest ecosystem. As well, with fewerplants, silty runoff to the weir could increase.

Additional activities

Pre-visit activities Research on internet about dieback.

Post-visit activities • Investigate how one type of recreational

activity can spread dieback. Maybe choosetrail or mountain bike riding, horse riding,bushwalking or four-wheel driving.

• Using this information, create a brochure orposter for the people who take part in thisactivity to inform them about how they canhelp reduce the spread of dieback.

• Write a short story about what wouldhappen to the quality of water in the weirif dieback spread through the forest in thisarea. Mention the effects on animals, aswell as water.

• Alcoa World Alumina Australia minesareas of jarrah forest that may containdieback. Investigate and report on howAlcoa controls dieback and what else it isdoing to help control the disease. A usefulsite to start your research is listed in the‘Useful Resources’ section.

DiebackStation 2

Issue - Effect of an introduced organism (in this case a pathogen) in the natural environment.

23

Excursion activites

Effect on water qualityChoices we make today can have follow-oneffects for many years. The effects your choiceshave on the environment in the longer term needto be considered when making choices today. A quick solution can have long-term negativeeffects on water quality.

Overview of field work at stationStudents investigate how historical choices haveled to our present forest and water catchmentsituation. Students are encouraged to thinkthrough problems over a long time scale, andconsider how their choices may have long-termeffects on the environment and water quality.Students compare the depth of leaf litterbetween the pine forest and native forest.

Background notes

The decisionMany decisions that were made in the past stillhave an effect on us today – both positive andnegative. The decision to build the MundaringWeir has a positive effect on our life style,through the supply of clean water, and forindustry, through the supply of water to theGoldfields and agricultural regions.

Problem with the decisionThe decision to clear trees in the catchment areasoon after completion has had a negative effectupon the flora and fauna, through loss of life orhabitat, and increased the salinity of thewaterways to an unacceptable level.

Problems with the solutionControl measures for the salinity problem –planting introduced pine trees – helped solvethe salinity problem but didn’t provide habitat orfood for native animals. It also created an acidicsoil under the pines inhibiting the spread ofnative plants.

Longer-term effects of the decisionThese issues are still present more than 100years after the clearing. Black-cockatoos needlarge hollows for nesting,however, with the rate ofgrowth of jarrah and marritrees, it will probably beanother hundred years,or much more, beforethese hollows return.

Learning from yourmistakesWe need to learn from historyand not repeat our mistakes.Regardless of how many dollars we can savenow, we need to consider the long-term effectson our unique environment.

Additional activities

Pre-visit activities • Research the history of your local dam or

weir.

Post-visit activities • Investigate and design alternative homes

for animals of your area that are underthreat from habitat loss.

The story of the effects of clearing native trees and planting pine forest in the catchment.

History never repeatsStation 3

Issue - When making management decisions, follow-on effects need to be considered.

24 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Excursion activites

Effect on water qualityTrees are an important partof the forest and the watercycle. Trees help reducethe impact of raindrops onthe soil surface. Trees alsodraw up large volumes ofwater which is used by theplant and for transpiration.This both contributes tothe water cycle and assistsin lowering the water table stopping salty waterfrom rising towards the soil surface.

To obtain good quality runoff from the land weneed a healthy forest to protect the soil, andlower the ground water.

Overview of field work at stationStudents calculate the volume of water taken upby the jarrah trees surround the station. Wethen investigate the trees’ role in helping toprevent salinity issues.

Background notes

Effect of treesDeep rooted trees are a critical part of the watercycle in the forest. They are also important inreducing the impact of falling raindrops on thesoil surface. Deep rooted plants take in waterthrough roots deep in the ground. A 20-metrejarrah tree can draw up about 50 litres of watera day. This lowers the level of the water table.

Salt and plantsDry salt in the ground has minimal effects onplants, salt dissolved in the water table but canbe devastating to plants. The health of theforest plants requires the water table to be wellbelow the soil surface and the salt content ofthe groundwater to be low.

Prevention easier than curePreventing salt rising to the soil surface is mucheasier than reversing salinity at the surface or inwater bodies.

Runoff versus salinitySome agencies advocate selective logging ofcatchment areas to increase runoff into waterstorage areas. However, there is a risk ofcreating a salinity problem. It is a careful jugglebetween increasing runoff and creating salinity.Every catchment is different and much researchon an individual catchment basis is required toget the balance right.

Additional activities

Pre-visit activities Revise the water cycle and how watermoves through trees/plants.

Post-visit activities Investigate the difference in water use byshallow-rooted plants, such as grass, anddeep-rooted plants, such as trees. Relatethis to rising salinity in the landscape.

The problem of salinity

Sucked in, up and outStation 4

Issue - Trees are important in the lowering of the water table to reduce salinity.

25

Additional activities

Pre-visit activities Research the amount of rainfall over aperiod of time, either in your local area orat your local water storage facility.

Post-visit activities Investigate how Western Australia’s orAustralia’s climate has changed over millionsof years. Try to explore how this hasaffected the flora and fauna. Or use this tointroduce the concept of plate tectonics orClimate Change.

Excursion activites

Effect on water qualityCatchments are large areas that need to bemanaged as a whole. The volume and intensityof rainfall have an affect on the volume andquality of runoff entering water storage areas.Vegetation management surrounding waterbodies is also critical for water quality.

Overview of field work at stationStudents examine a model of the MundaringWeir catchment area and investigate features ofa catchment area. Students also ‘rain’ and‘storm’ over the catchment to understand howwater moves through a catchment area.

Background notes

Complex and variableThe flow of water through a catchment area is acomplex concept with many variables. Use ofthis model helps students to begin tounderstand these concepts.

What is a catchment?By using a 3D model, students get a betterappreciation of a catchment area and itsboundaries. Catchment areas have manytopographical features in them that influencephysical runoff. The model also highlightsrelationships across a large physical area, it canrain in one part of the catchment and causestream level to rise in another area ofcatchment.

Where does the water go?In a catchment, water can go into two systems;surface water or ground water. Surface waterflows across the surface due to gravity, all thewhile slowly soaking in. When water moves tobelow the soil surface, it is ground water, whichis more complex in its movement.

Surface waterThree main factors influencethe volume of surface waterproduced. Rainfall intensityeffects the ability of water toenter the soil. Soft rain allowswater time to absorb. Heavyrain can limit the soil’s ability toremove air so water can enter.The type of soil is also important – some soils areclose to water repellent so you would expectmore surface water. The existing volume of waterin the ground is the third factor. Given a chance,dry soils have the capacity to soak up more waterbefore runoff occurs, compared to wet soils.Factors are variable over time and location.

Ground waterOnce water is absorbed into the ground it canfollow many pathways. Some water is taken upby plants, some evaporates and some isabsorbed by subterranean animals. If waterfilters down deep enough, it reaches the watertable. This could take hours or weeks,depending on the soil type and depth of watertable. From here, water will slowly flow to thelowest point, which may be a creek, reservoir,artesian basin or the sea. Some water could betrapped in isolated pockets due to the shape ofthe impervious layer below.

The water cycle and the catchment

Fitting in – Where are you?Station 5

Issue - Catchment management is on a broad landscape basis.

26 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Excursion activites

Effect on water qualityGround cover plants and plant matter on thesoil surface reduces the impact of raindrops onthe soil. This reduces the erosive potential ofraindrops. By not disturbing the soil surface,loose soil particles are less likely to be washedaway and runoff is likely to be cleaner. It alsoallows water more opportunity to be absorbedinto the ground.

Overview of field work at stationStudents perform an experiment to show thedifference between the effect of water on baresoil and soil covered by low vegetation. Studentsthen discuss the implication of their findings forthe reservoir.

Background notes

Mulching prevents erosionStudents know the importance of mulchinggardens. This station is an extension (origin?) ofthis principle. Raindrops are powerful erosiveagents and stopping their impact on bare soilhas a major effect on the quality of waterrunning off.

Where does eroded material go?If organics material does not catch and filter outsediments, material can be spread over largedistances, changing the environment. Erodedmaterials can be caught by vegetation furtheraway and deposited. It can enter streams andcause turbidity, or eventually end up inreservoirs, turning them muddy, silting them upand killing off aquatic plants and animals.

Applying the principleOnce students understand how this principleconserves the environment, they can extend itto their actions. By going off tracks, peopledisturb and reduce the ground cover, leading togreater potential for soil erosion.

Soil erosion

Additional activities

Pre-visit activities Choose five different surfaces within theschool grounds and rank them in order ofpotential for erosion, from easiest to hardest.

Post-visit activities • Choose two different surfaces and

record, by photographs diagrams ormeasurements, the effect of a singledrop on the surface. Does height changethe amount of erosion?

• Now repeat the experiment with a layerof vegetation over the surfaces.

Cover up to clean-upStation 6

Issue - Soil erosion can be reduced by the presence of ground cover plants and plantmatter on the soil surface.

27

Excursion activites

Effect on water qualityBy creating tracks with as gentle a slope as ispossible, you can reduce the potential forerosion. This can also be achieved by hardeningsurfaces, installing appropriate track drainageand revegetating damaged areas. All these stepscan improve the quality of runoff water.

Overview of field work at stationStudents investigate the relationship betweenthe slope of a track and its ease of erosion. Theythen transfer this knowledge to their choice ofroutes. The steeper the track they walk on, themore chance of causing erosion. The concept ofhardening a track, revegetating damaged areas,and track drainage can be introduced ifappropriate.

Background notes

Planning ‘Prevention is better than the cure’ is an oldsaying that applies very well to erosion. Planningbefore roads, tracks and bush trails areconstructed needs to consider how to movewater away from disturbed surfaces.

Gentle slopes Using gentle slopes is a good starting point, butis not the full solution. Even gentle slopes inheavy rain can create an unexpected amount oferosion. Short-cutting on the construction andmaintenance of a walking track can change agood track into a problem area quickly. Short-cutting might save a minute or two, but createsproblems that can take years to fix.

Personal choices The decisions we make about walking in theforest can affect the water quality.

Planning your movements

Additional activities

Pre-visit activities Explore the school grounds and discoverwhere erosion is occurring. Describe eacharea in written format and possibly includea diagram or photo. Pay attention towhether there are common featuresbetween all the sites.

Post-visit activities For sites investigated in the pre-visitactivities, develop a plan for how to solvethe problem. Submit the plan to the SchoolPrincipal and grounds-person to getapproval to do the work.

Which way do you go?Station 7

Issue - The slope of a disturbed surface is a major factor that influences how easily thesurface can be eroded.

28 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Excursion activites

Effect on water qualityModern mines need to meet strictenvironmental protection standards. Thanks tothese protection standards, the streamssurrounding mines are in good quality.

Overview of field work at stationStudents observe the quarry on the oppositeside of the reservoir. Granite from this quarrywas used to build the Mundaring Weir at theturn of the last century. Students pick up a smallhandful of soil and are asked to feel, observeand describe to a partner the colour, texture,grain size and shape, and the presence of plantand animal matter.

Background notes

Reducing the impactModern mining practices are designed tominimise the mine’s long-term effects on theenvironment, including water quality. Miningcompanies now have to build walls around themine to capture runoff and so reduce the risk oferosion.

Dieback precautionsDieback is most easily spread when the weatheris warm and wet during this time the movementof traffic and heavy machinery in and out of themine site is minimised, and vehicles arethoroughly sprayed with fungus-killingchemicals.

External monitoringWater Corporation representatives inspect themines and its operations to ensure theseprecautions are taken. researchers arecontracted to assist in rehabilitating mined areasback to healthy forests.

Additional activities

Pre-visit activities Research where steel and aluminium comefrom. Get students to trace it back to theminerals and where they are found.

Post-visit activities • Research how minerals are mined,

including what are the steps involved?

• Develop a map of mine sites in thesouth-west and the minerals that aremined and their relationship tocatchment areas.

MiningStation 8

Issue - Modern society requires minerals but a balanced responsible approach is neededto obtain the resources we require.

29

Excursion activites

Effect on water qualityBy making choices based onhow we affect water quality, itis possible to reduce our impacton catchment areas, and theenvironment as a whole.

Overview of field workat stationStudents spend several minutes quietly reflectingon what they have experienced during the day.They then share what they have learnt.

Background notes

Stop and enjoyLife, and this program, are very busy. We allneed to take time out to reflect on what we haveexperienced. This stop gives students thatchance. Many students have also never stoppedand sat still, in total quiet, for any length of time.

Individual reflectionThis station gives students the opportunity toindividually develop their own reflections, ratherthan the usual group discussion and reflectionprocess. For many students it is also during thistime that they become more aware of what isreally around them – the beauty of the naturalenvironment.

Review the conundrumCheck back to the welcome and your work onthe conundrum. Finish the answers and discusswith others in your class.

Additional activities

Pre-visit activities A week before the excursion, ask studentsto share what choices they can make, andactions they can take, while in the naturalenvironment to help to protect water quality.

Post-visit activities

Several weeks after the excursion, askstudents to do a written reflection on whatthey recall from the excursion and how ithas affected their lives. Or ask them thesame question from the additional pre-visitactivities above.

Your actions?Station 9

Issue - We all need to be responsible for our choices.

30 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Excursion activites

Effect on water qualityFires, especially wildfires, can reduce the qualityof water in a reservoir due to ash, sediment andscorched leaves being blown into reservoirs.Contamination of the water body by thesecomponents needs to be minimised wherepossible.

Overview of field work at stationStudents look for evidence of fire and discussthe meaning of a prescribed burn. Studentsobserve the exposed trunk of a balga and countthe fire rings. The relevance of the spacingbetween rings is discussed.

Background notesWhat has fire to do with water quality andquantity? The answer: a great deal!

WildfiresWildfires are fires that burn very hot, are almostimpossible to control and are dangerous toforests, towns, peoples' lives and farms. Theyoccur in areas that have not been burnt formany years, and so have large amounts ofleaves, twigs, bark and dead plants on theground, known as ground fuel.

Effects of firesAfter a wildfire, the landscape is black andcharred. If the fire is followed by rainfall, surfacerunoff can carry ash into streams and then intoreservoirs. If, during a wildfire, the wind blowstowards a reservoir, scorched vegetation isblown into the water. If heavy rainfall occursbefore the plants have had time to recover, theunprotected topsoil can be eroded into streamsand dams. In these ways wildfires can result inconsiderable water pollution.

How many fires?Every year, responds to as many as 500wildfires on the land it manages in the State’ssouth-west. Many are started by arsonists, whileothers are started by accident or lightning.

PrescribedburnsTo protect life,property and waterquality in catchments,DEC works to minimisethe threat of wildfire through itsprescribed burning program. Planned(prescribed) fires are lit in forests around townsand farms to reduce the amount of fuel. Thisprogram does not prevent wildfires but canreduce their severity and extent.

PlanningPrescribed burns are planned carefully and are litevery five to 10 years in spring, early summer orlate autumn when it is cool and relatively moist.Preventative measures are taken to stopscorched material blowing into the reservoir. Forexample, burns are carried out on days whenthe wind is blowing from main water bodies.

To considerThe effects of fire on the ecology of WA forestshave been studied for more than 30 years andshown to be highly variable. Many plants cansurvive a fire, but a fire repeated every two orthree years will cause the vegetation to change.Native animals are often able to survive fires,and research has shown that population levelsof some birds and mammals return to pre-burnnumbers within three to four years. Therefore,DEC maintains a period of at least four yearsbetween burns.

Why burn?Prescribed burning is a forest managementtechnique used for protecting a number offorest values. The result is a patchwork ofregularly burned areas. The intensity of awildfire can be reduced when it reaches arecently burned patch.

To prevent fires being started when conditionsare extreme in summer, a total fire ban isimposed, which must be observed by all visitorsto the forest.

FireStation 10

Issue - Fire can adversely effect the quality of water in a reservoir.

31

Excursion activites

Effect on water qualityJoint management of a catchment area isrequired to ensure supply of good quality water.Without cooperation, the system will not work.

Overview of field work at stationStudents discover who is responsible formanaging the catchment and water quality.There are two government organisations closelyinvolved in managing the catchment area andthe weir. This provides the necessary level ofprotection and management to ensure thatwater going into the weir is of good quality.

Background notes

Who is responsible?The supply of quality water to users is taken forgranted by almost everyone, until the systembreaks down. The Water Corporation has thelead role in ensuring water quality but thisresponsibility would be near impossible if thewater going into water storage bodies, such asthe Mundaring Weir, is of poor quality. So, jointmanagement of surrounding areas within thecatchment is vital and some areas are ofparticular concern are afforded ReservoirProtection Zone status for added protection.

Need for protectionSome people believe that these protectivearrangements are unnecessary and just keepthem ‘locked out’ of areas they think theyshould be allowed in. However, everyonerequires access to good quality drinking water,not water that is a muddy colour or smells. So, to ensure everyone gets good quality water,some catchment areas need to have limitedaccess. A few may be inconvenienced for thebenefit of all.

Additional activities

Pre-visit activities

Post-visit activities Investigate where your water comes from.

Who cares? Station 11

Issue - Several agencies share the responsibility of ensuring quality drinking water isavailable to all Western Australians.

32 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

A C l e a n e r g l a s s o f H 2 O

Catchment Carers’ Trail

Post-excursion activities

Post-excursion activities have been groupedtogether based on the key concept the

group of activities relate to.

35

Post-excusion activites

Salinity is a major issue throughout south-west WA and many other areasof Australia and beyond.

Some of the key issues relating to salinity are:

• Salinity reduces ecological biodiversity.

• Alterations in vegetation and the water cycle can cause increased saltin the landscape, therefore in our drinking water.

• Organisms are affected by increased salt levels.

• Although a small amount of salt is needed by cells, increased saltaffects cells detrimentally and therefore life processes.

• Salinity in the landscape can change over millions of years or in ageneration of careless land use.

Salinity is both complex and variable. Salinity can become an issue whenother issues develop, for example excessive clearing can provide theopportunity for saline ground water to rise and become noticeable.

As with many water quality issues, the question of balance is veryimportant.

SalinityKey concept 1

36 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Materials• seeds (alfalfa, wheat, mung or bean)

• five saucers

• cotton wool

• distilled water

• five salt solutions of the followingconcentrations in plastic 'squirt' bottles A - distilled water B - 2.5 grams salt per litre of distilled water(g/L) C - 5g/L D - 10g/L E - 15g/L

Salt kills plants by reducing their ability to take up water so they end up dying of dehydration.This experiment shows the effect of salt on seed germination.

What to do1 Place cotton wool in the base of each

saucer.

2 Label saucers A to E.

3 Spread seeds (not too thickly) across thecotton wool in each dish.

4 Water each saucer with its matchingsolution. Dish A with solution A (distilledwater), Dish B with solution B (2.5 g salt perlitre) etc.

5 Place saucers in a safe place (they do notneed to be in sunlight).

6 Check the saucers every day and addsolution as necessary to keep the seedsmoist.

Independent variable: Amount of salt insolution.

Dependent variable: The number of seedsthat germinate.

Count the number of seeds that germinate overa period of two weeks. Record yourobservations in a table then on a graph. Whatconclusions can you draw about the effect ofsalt on germination?

A salty birth

Concept/Issue – Salinity

Student: shows the effect of salt on seed germination.

Post-excursion activites

Adapted from Vic Dept of Conservation and Natural Resources, Our Land: Landcare Activities for Upper Primary

37

Materials• six litres of distilled water

• table salt

• five one-litre containers

• cotton wool buds (six per student)

• one sheet of A4 paper

• ruler and pencil

• adhesive tape

It is okay for people to have salt on fish and chips or on the odd baked potato, but in soils it is a realproblem. This is because salt kills plants by reducing their ability to take up water. And when salt getsinto our water supply catchments we really start to notice the problem. In this activity you will tastewater with different concentrations of salt.

What to do1 Prepare the paper cone for salt

measurement:

a) On an A4 sheet of paper label thecorners A B and C as shown in the diagram.

b) Use a ruler to measure the followinggraduations on the AB edge (corner B iszero).1.2cm = 0.15g – fresh water2.3cm = 1.00g – marginal water3.4 cm = 3.00g – brackish water7.5cm = 35.00g – sea water11.7cm = 130.00g – Barr Creek (atributary of the Murray River)

c) Turn the paper over and trace thegraduations and mark on the gramsagain.

d) Make up the cone by bringing the Acorner to the B C edge and securingwith adhesive tape. (Do not overlap theedges)

2 Use your paper cone to measure saltquantities for each solution. Pour in salt torequired graduation holding cone up tolight, to match with the line.

3 Prepare the six salt solutions by filling theone-litre containers with distilled water andadding the measured quantities of salt.

Taste each of the solutions by dippingcotton buds and placing on your tongue.

A taste of salt

Concept/Issue – Salinity

Student: experiences the taste of different concentrations of salt.

Post-excursion activites

Adapted from Vic Dept of Conservation and Natural Resources, Our Land: Landcare Activities for Upper Primary

38 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

* µS/cm is a measure of the ability of the soil to conduct electricity, or the salinity of soil.

Adapted from Foster, D, Robb, J and Yorkston, T (1995) Waterwatch and Your Catchment. DPI, Queensland.

39

Materials• tall drinking glass

• paper towel

• water

• salt

When Europeans arrived in Australia they did not understand the Australian environment. They usedfarming methods that worked well in Europe but created disasters for Australian soils. The landscape,soils and climate are very different. The early settlers tried to make a living off the land the only waythey knew - by clearing vegetation including deep-rooted native trees and grasses. These activities havecaused our water tables to rise, bringing salt to the surface in lots of areas.

This experiment will show you how salt rises to the surface and take you one step closer tounderstanding salinity.

What to do1 Near the top of the glass write ‘surface’ and

on the bottom write ‘ground water’.

2 Fill one third of the glass with water.

3 Dissolve two teaspoons of salt into thewater.

4 Cut a paper towelling strip a bit longer thanthe length of the glass. Label the strip‘soil’.

5 Place the paper towel strip in the glass sothat one end is dipped in the water and theother end is overlapping the top of theglass.

6 Observe what happens.

7 Tear off a small piece of the wet paper fromthe end of the strip and place it on yourtongue. What can you taste?

8 Remove the paper from the water andplace in a warm position. Observe thesurface after the water has evaporated.

How does this help to explain how salt moves ina catchment?

Travelling with salt

Concept/Issue – Salinity

Student: shows how salt can move through the environment.

Post-excursion activites

Adapted from Vic Dept of Conservation and Natural Resources, Our Land: Landcare Activities for Upper Primary

40 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Post-excusion activites

Erosion is an issue facing much of Australia and beyond.

Some of the key issues relating to erosion are:

• Erosion is a natural process that can be caused by wind and water.

• Human activities may have caused the rate of erosion to increase.

• A wide range of organisms, both plant and animal, are affected byerosion.

• Control measures are complex and expensive to implement.

• Some changes in the landscape caused by erosion cannot be reverseddue to their scale and the fragility of the landscape.

The land is always eroding away. However, it is the rate of erosion andthe causes of erosion that humans have severely modified. Humans liketo think the environment is pristine and untouched, but the abiotic andbiotic factors within the environment all work at reshaping our landscape,usually on a long-term timeframe.

ErosionKey concept 2

41

Materials• plastic drink bottle with a screw lid

• nails

• felt pen (oil based)

• water

What to do1 Remove the cap and carefully make several

holes in it, using a nail.

2 Turn the bottle upside down and use feltpens to draw a cloud shape.

3 Fill the bottle with water and replace thecap.

4 Go outside and test your cloud by turning itupside down and shaking it so that rainbegins to fall.

Investigation and report1. Find as many different types of bare soils as

possible around the school grounds.

2. In pairs, investigate one soil type with yourclouds and record the effect on the surface.If possible take photos or detailed fieldsketches of before and after the ‘rain’event.

3. Report to the class through an oralpresentation or a poster.

In this activity you will make your own special ‘rain cloud’ that will help you discover the effects of rainon different types of land. You will need this cloud for other activities, so make sure it is labelled withyour name.

Research• Find out about different cloud types.

Try to identify these clouds in the sky.

• Which clouds are rain clouds?

• Find out how sailors and farmers canforecast the weather by reading the skies.Do you know of any other ways ofpredicting rain?

Making rain clouds

Concept/Issue – Raindrops on soil cause erosion

Student: discovers the effects of raindrops on soil.

Post-excursion activites

Adapted from Vic Dept of Conservation and Natural Resources, Our Land: Landcare Activities for Upper Primary

42 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Materials• three sheets of white paper

• one petri dish or a shallow small tincontaining top soil

• one small jar containing water

• one eye dropper

• one spoon or icecream stick

• Condy's crystals

• one apron or old shirt to protect your clothes

• plasticine

What to do1 Place the first sheet of paper on a flat

surface. Put the container of soil in thecentre of the sheet.

Sprinkle a few grains of Condy's crystalsover the top of the soil.

Using the dropper, let several drops ofwater fall on to the soil from a height ofabout 25 centimetres.

What happens? Do you get colouredsplashes on the paper?

Let the paper dry and label it splash pattern– flat surface

2 Repeat this test with the remaining twosheets. Put the second sheet on a gentlysloping surface. You will need to supportthe paper using a board or book. Use theplasticine to hold the soil container in place.Label this sheet splash pattern – slopingsurface.

A scientist once worked out that more than one kilogram of soil could beblasted into the air from four square metres of bare soil during a violentrainstorm. The following experiment will show you how this can happen.

The mighty raindrop

Concept/Issue – The erosive effect of raindrops

Student: shows the effect of raindrops on bare soil.

Post-excursion activites

Adapted from Vic Dept of Conservation and Natural Resources, Our Land: Landcare Activities for Upper Primary

3 Put the third sheet on a steep slope. Label this one splash pattern – steep slope.Show the direction of the slope by drawingarrows.

Are the splash patterns the same?

Can falling raindrops move soil away?

What is the name for this?

What type of surface is it most likely tohappen on?

43

Adapted from Vic Dept of Conservation and Natural Resources, Our Land: Landcare Activities for Upper Primary

Students will be investigating which areas in your school grounds are good at soaking up water. A porous surface is able to take up water readily, like a sponge, while other surfaces do not take upwater readily and are considered non-porous.

Method – Explore your school grounds for areas listed below. Use your rain cloud and observe whathappens when raindrops hit the ground in these different spots.

Results

Water soaks

Concept/Issue – The porous nature of different surfaces

Student: investigates how porous different surfaces are and the effect on the amount runoff.

Post-excursion activites

Grassy slope

Hard bare slope (wherepeople walk)

Moist leaf litter or othermulch

Freshly turned soil (gardenbed)

Low growing plants(creepers or ground covers)

Asphalt/concrete/bricks

Other (describe)

Area Observation

Which areas are best at soaking up water?

Why?

In which areas does the water run off rapidly?

Why?

Next time it rains, go outside with an umbrella and look at the sameareas again.

44 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Background

Map reading Being able to read a map is a valuable skill thatcan help you decide a safe route through theenvironment. It is also one of the tools used indeciding which way cultural (man-made)features are placed within the environment toreduce their impact.

Contour maps In this activity, we will look at roads and trails,similar to in station 6 of the excursion. A sectionof a contour map is used, where contours joinall points of equal height above sea level. As thenumbers (height) of the contours increase youare going uphill, if they are falling, you aregoing downhill. The closer the contours thequicker the rise or fall. Widely spaced contoursindicate flatter ground.

Labelling direction North should always be at the top of the map,so east is on the right, south at the bottom andwest on the left. Using this rule, you cannavigate students around a map, using compasspoints as reference.

This activity is an advanced extension activity.

AimThis activity has several aims, depending on how far you think your students are able to proceed.At a basic level, students learn to understand the features shown on the map – hills, valleys, creeks.For the more advanced, there is an activity to develop the skill of drawing a cross-sectionalgraphing, this graph is then used to decide on routes that reduce environmental impact.

Basic map reading activity

Which way should I go?

Concept/Issue – Slope of land effects erosion.

Student: shows the effect of slope of the ground on erosion.

Post-excursion activites

ActivityUsing the section of map provided:

• Identify which directions the compass pointslie. (Answer is in the background notes).

• Find a flat area on the map (hint: contourlines are further apart). (Answers: near thewords ‘Disease Risk Area’, just east of theword ‘Lane’ and north-east of the word‘Slavery’.)

• If you were walking from the hills below theword ‘Area’ to the creek to the south, wouldthe walk be steep or flat? Explain why.(Answer: walk would be steep because thecontours are closer together.)

• What is the difference in height betweeneach contour line on this map? (Answer: 10 metres.)

• Between the words ‘Slavery’ and ‘Lane’, atrack (marked by dashes) heads off towardsthe reservoir and joins another track solidorange line at point “AT 70 2”. What is thedifference in height between the start of thetrack and the end? (Answer: start height is270 metres, finish height is 160 metres sothere is a fall of 110 metres.)

45

IntroductionA friend has invited you on a walk, but theycan’t decide which walk would be better. Yourfriend recently broke her leg and can’t walk upor down hills very easily as it causes too muchpain, so you need to make the walk as easy aspossible for her. Your friend wants you todecide which way to go!

Your friend and you can be dropped off onSlavery Road at the stop marked as “A”. Thechoice you have is whether to walk south-eastfor about 1.5 Km to point B, or to walk north-west for about 1.5Km to point C. You can bepicked up at either B or C.

Method for decidingHow do you decide? There are two ways, justlook at the map and guess, or work out theanswer by a simple graphing exercise. Studentsshould try both ways.

Guess methodHave a look at the map and guess which wayyou should go, A to B or A to C. Now describein two to three sentences why you chose thetrack you chose.

Cross-section graph method (AdvancedExtension)This seems more complicated but is a moreaccurate method of deciding which way to go.So let’s do it step by step.

A ‘cross-section’ is a slice through a particularfeature. So we will be doing two ‘slices’ – A toB then A to C. This description is for the cross-section line A to B.

1 Put the straight edge of a piece of scrappaper along your cross-section line. Markthe beginning and end of the cross-section,and write down the grid references.

2 Go along the cross-section line, making amark every time a contour line goes underthe paper. Add any height numbers yousee. Also mark the position of any mainfeatures, e.g. the river or roads.

3 On graph paper, draw a frame for yourcross-section. The length along the bottomshould be the same as your cross-sectionline. The scale on the side axis should be in10-metre intervals up to the maximumheight in your cross-section. For this graph,five millimetres on the paper should denote10-metre intervals.*

4 Put your piece of scrap paper along thebottom of the frame and mark on a dot foreach contour line in the correct place. Thedistance along the bottom should be thesame as on the scrap paper, and the distanceup the side of the frame should correspondto the height of the contour line. If you don’thave a number for a particular line, count upor down from one you do have. Look out forplaces where the same contour line crossesthe paper more than once. Remember thereis a gap of 10 metres between contour lines;100-metre lines are shown in bold; and thetops of height numbers are towards the topof the slope.

5 Join the dots with a smooth line and checkback to the map to make sure your cross-section looks reasonable. Draw arrows andlabel important features, e.g. the river orsteep valley sides.

* Vertical exaggeration is caused by the verticaland horizontal scales being unequal. If thevertical scale is too large the graph looks verysteep, you can ‘flatten out’ the graph to makethe hills and valleys look more realistic byreducing the vertical scale.

Once you have the twocross-section graphs, Ato B and A to C, decidewhich one has lesshills and valleys.Which route is mostsuitable for you andyour friend?

46 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Which way should I go?Post-excursion activites

A

C

B

Nor

th

47

Post-excusion activites

Pollution is a major worldwide issue and takes many forms. Waterpollution is caused by many factors.

Some of the key issues relating to water pollution are:

• There are many causes of pollution, some obvious, some difficult toidentify.

• Pollution reduces ecological biodiversity.

• Different pollutants affect different components of the aquaticecosystem.

• Some pollutants bio-accumulate and only become obvious in thehigher order consumers.

• Some sources of water pollution are from land-based sources.

• Managing the reservoir zone can reduce some pollutants ability toeven the aquatic environment.

In some cases water pollution is obvious and in some cases it is difficultto identify. A fish kill is obvious, but heavy metal pollution lying silently inthe sediment in the stream bed is a hidden source. Some of the evidenceof a pollution problem are secondary effects, not the cause. How did thefish die? Did they die as a result of direct pollution such as someonepouring chemicals into the water? Or did they die as a result of indirectpollution such as spray from a nearby herbicide application causing thephytoplankton to die, interrupting the food chain?

Water pollution can be difficult to trace and hard to fix. Sometimesnature just has to slowly fix itself as the flow of water cleanses itself anddilutes the cause.

Water pollutionKey concept 3

48 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Activity outlineThis activity provides an excellent summary ofthe issues relating to water quality and rivermanagement. Students gain insights into theinter connections of a catchment and some ofthe causes of water pollution by observing theimpact of pollution on a simulated catchment.You may wish to do some simple testing–salinity, turbidity or have students makeobservational recordings, describing whathappened and the changes that resulted.

Students can work in pairs to rank thesignificance of different causes of waterpollution based on their own experiences andknowledge of the various causes of waterpollution. The class can discuss the impacts andthe significance of each. You can then identifywhat issues may exist in your own catchment.

Materials• one clear container such as a punch bowl or

small fish tank with a four- to five-litrecapacity filled with water

• catchment story labels

• 16 film vials (available from chemists andphoto outlets)

Advanced preparation• There are 16 land uses identified in the

activity story. These can be adapted to suitthe size of the group (e.g. each land usecould be assigned to two people, some usescould be omitted or more than one allocatedper participant to cater to the size of thegroup). Some land uses could be omitted ifthey are not relevant to your catchment.

• Prepare one labelled film vial for eachparticipant. Fill with substances and quantitieslisted in the table on page 6?. Photocopy the'labels' and cut and tape a label to each vial.

In this activity you will make your own special ‘rain cloud’ that will help you discover the effects of rain ondifferent types of land. You will need this cloud for other activities, so make sure it is labelled with your name.

Activity instructionsBriefly introduce the concept of Australia beingthe driest inhabited continent in the world anddiscuss the preciousness of water and howmany ecosystems are under threat of pollution.Everybody living in water catchment areascontribute directly or indirectly, significantly ornot so significantly to the degradation of ourwaterways, often without realising therelationships and impacts that humans make.

Procedure1 Place a clear jar (e.g. a punch bowl or small

fish tank) containing four to five litres ofwater centrally in the room and explain itrepresents the 'river'.

2 Distribute the vials among the group.Remind students not to open them untiltheir 'character' emerges in the story, whichis when they are to empty their vial into theclear bowl of water – the 'river'.

3 Read the story in a dramatic way, stoppingat the end of each section when acharacter/land use is mentioned. Remindparticipants to come forward andempty their cannister.

Note:• The title of the river

in the story hasbeen left open soyou can include thename of the localriver which runsthrough yourcatchment, if you wish.

• Each particular land use iswritten in bold in the story.

The story of a river

Concept/Issue – Water pollution and its effect on water quality

Student: - explores the links between lifestyle and water pollution; and - investigates decision-making processes.

Post-excursion activites

49

The story of a riverThis is the story of the travels of a very specialriver, our river, through its catchment. It begins inthe higher parts of the catchment where the rainruns off the slopes and begins its long journey tothe sea. In the valley below there is a powerstation which generates electricity for the region.It burns large quantities of coal and releasespollutant gases into the atmosphere.

These pollutants combine with moisture in theatmosphere to produce acid rain. Rainfall carriesthese acids back to the Earth's surface and canpollute the river. The water gathers momentum as itdescends the slopes. The river continues its journeytowards the sea through farming country where,recently, some crops were fertilised. Afterwards, thecrops were watered and some of the fertiliserentered the river as runoff.

The neighbouring farm is a piggery. Some of themanure from the pig pens washes into a drainagepipe which empties into the river. On the otherside of the river are grazing lands. There are veryfew trees remaining and, in some of the lowerparts of the pasture, the water table has risenbecause the trees are not using the water anymore. This water brings the salts in the soil up tothe surface making the land unusable. It alsomeans that runoff from the land is salty and thisthreatens the freshwater organisms and animals inthe river. A grazing herd of cattle feed on thevegetation on the banks. When heavy rains arrivethe banks collapse into the river.

The coal mine, which supplies raw mineral for thepower station, pumps water out of the river toclean its equipment and flush out some of thewaste. This includes various acids which all drainback into the river. Slowly, the river starts to windits way through the outskirts of a major town.Here, there are a number of hobby farms. Thehouses here are not connected to a seweragesystem but have their own septic tanks.Occasionally these tanks overflow and untreatedsewage seeps directly into the river.

There are a number of people making use of theriver around the bend. Someone is fishing on thebanks. Unfortunately their line gets caught arounda rock and is left in the water. Other people arewater skiing. Their boat needs a service and itsengine is leaking oil directly into the river. Anothergroup of people is enjoying a picnic at a parkoverlooking the river. A gust of wind blows some oftheir rubbish off the table and down into the water.

Further downstream the river is being used fortourism. A charter boat is taking people on a scenictour of the river. Drinks are available on board butnot everyone uses the bins that are provided.

The river now starts to meander through thesuburban part of town. A new subdivision isbeing developed. Many of the trees have beenremoved and the top layer of soil is eroded so,when it rains, silt enters the river. Most houses inthe developed parts of the town have a garden. Tokeep garden pests away, gardeners use a range ofpesticides. At the end of the day they turn on theirsprinklers to water the plants. The pesticides washoff into the stormwater drains and enter the river.

People who have spent the day at work are nowdriving home. The roads are choked with traffic.Oil drips out of many cars and sometimes theybrake in a hurry leaving traces of rubber on theroad. Every time it rains, these pollutants arecarried into the stormwater drains and straight intothe river.

There is still some industry along the river here.Some factories use detergents to keep theirproduction equipment clean. Sometimes, the dirtywater is hosed out of the factory into the gutterwhere it washes into a storm water drain andflows straight into the river. If there are phosphatesin the detergent, excess algae growth can occur inthe river. When this algae dies and begins to rot, ituses up oxygen which animals in the water rely on.They may suffocate as a result.

Redevelopment is occurring on the opposite bank.Demolishers have discovered a few drums ofsomething mysterious. They won't be able to sellthese as scrap. Someone suggests emptying theminto the river. Everyone agrees and the waste fromthe old tannery is released into the river, to thedetriment of all the organisms and animals living in it.

With one final bend the river finally arrives at itsmouth and flows into the sea. But look at whatflows out with it!

What can we do with our river? A heavy rainstormwould help. The fresh supply of river water fromrain can help flush out many pollutants. Indeed,rivers can be a major way of flushing and cleaningecosystems. However this only moves the problemto a coastal area where other ecosystems will beaffected. We must reduce the amount of pollutionthat is entering the river.

50 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Questions1 How did you feel about the change in the colour and look of the ‘river' ?

2 How would you feel about drinking or swimming in this water?

3 Why was the water so different in appearance at the end of the story?

4 Do you think this is like the real situation is this how pollution might occur in our river?

5 List the ways that pollution in a catchment might affect you personally. How might thisaccumulated pollution affect the beach, coast, or ocean and, in turn, you?

6 Were any types of water pollution in the activity illegal? If so, why does this pollution still happen?If not, why aren't laws or penalties to protect waterways more effective?

7 What other kinds of measures could be used to prevent or reduce water pollution?

8 Where could this activity be used to raise peoples’ awareness of water pollution?

9 Write your own story about the catchment in which you live, drawing on the different issues inyour area.

The story of a riverPost-excursion activites

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Catchment story labels

Power station

Herd of cattle

Baking powder (fertiliser)

Piggery

Grazing land

Coal mine

Hobby farms

Fishing

Water-skiing

Park

Tourism

Subdivision

Gardens

Roads

Industry

Tannery

Vinegar (acid rain)

Thick muddy water

Thick muddy water

Salty water

Vinegar (acid runoff)

Yellow water/toilet paper

Tangle of line

Vegetable oil

Styrofoam, plastic, etc

Paper, plastic, etc

Soil

Baking soda (pesticide)

Vinegar (acid runoff)

Soap water (detergent)

Food colouring (red) orbeetroot juice

1/2 vial

1/2 vial

1/2 teaspoon

1/2 vial

1/2 teaspoon salt in full canister of water

1/2 vial

Full canister water and a small piece of paper

1/2 teaspoon

1/2 teaspoon

1/2 teaspoon

1/2 vial

1 drop detergent in full canister of water

5 drops solution in full canister of water

Land use Substance Quantity/condition

Power Station

Grazing Land

Water Skiing

Gardens

Herd of Cattle

Coal Mine

Park

Roads

Farming Country

Hobby Farms

Tourism

Industry

Piggery

Fishing

Subdivision

Tannery

Note: All of these substances are non-toxic.

Adapted from Who Polluted the Potomac? Alice Ferguson Foundation USA, and Queensland Waterwatch.

52 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Post-excusion activites

Throughout this whole package, the links between our personalchoices and water quality have been highlighted. It is hopedthat students are, by now, thinking about how they personallyaffect water quality.

Some of the key issues relating to personal choices are listedbelow.

• Every individual can make a difference.

• Small positive actions accumulate to help make positivechanges.

• You do have a choice.

• Actions speak louder than words.

• Join with like-minded people to support each other in youractions.

Empowering students is a very positive aspect of teaching. Part of a teacher’s legacy lies in the lives of students they havepositively influenced, and how they go on to positively changeothers. Helping students to understand the link between theirpersonal choices and water quality will help students becomesocially responsible citizens.

Personal choicesKey concept 4

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Suggest a solution to each of the following problems

Finding a solution

The Catchment Carers’ Conundrum introduced you to many of thepeople who share the catchment. Some of the carers may causeproblems that will lower the quality of our reservoir water.

Post-excursion activites

1 Forest understorey plants throughout theforest are crushed by the many feet ofvisiting students and tourists.

2 Forest trees and understorey plants arethreatened by the spread of diebackdisease.

3 Dog owners allow their dogs to roam thereservoir shores and introduce harmfulbacteria into the water.

4 Ash and soil blow into the reservoir after aforest wildfire in summer.

5 Topsoil from a gravel quarry site washesinto the reservoir after rain.

6 Salty stream water turns the reservoir watersaline.

7 A landowner wants to remove treesgrowing on the edge of a river flowing intothe reservoir.

8 A motor boat owner accidently pollutes thereservoir with oil.

9 Topsoil erosion caused by road buildingturns the reservoir water muddy.

10 Individual sharers of the forest use theforest as they please.

Problem Solution

54 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Can I make a difference? - Part 2

Concept/Issue – Personal choices make a difference

Student: - investigates their changed perceptions of water quality issues.

Post-excursion activites

Available from Queensland Waterwatch Waterwatch,http://www.qld.waterwatch.org.au/images/resources/poster_healthycatchment.jpg

This activity was offered as a pre-excursion activity. It is now repeated to try to gauge if students have achanged understanding of water quality issues. Please compare pre- and post-activities to see if a changehas occurred, what has been understood and what might need reinforcing.

What is good and bad within the catchment?1 Study the diagram for two minutes without writing anything.

2 You now have four minutes to highlight all the good and bad things that are occurring that effect thewater quality. Try circling an issue and number it. Then, in the space below, explain what is positive ornegative about this issue. Remember to focus only on water quality issues.

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

See diagram on page 16, Can I make a difference? - Part 1.

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GlossaryThe following are key words when talking about water quality, the water cycle and catchment areasNot all words have been used in this booklet but are still important to understanding water

Catchment area All land that drains into acommon drainage point. Can be small (a fewhundred square metres) or large (thousands ofsquare kilometres).

Erosion The removal of soil particles from the surfaceof the ground by water or wind. Can range fromrill erosion (small channels a few millimetres wide)to gulley erosion (where the channels are metreswide and can be metres deep).

Water quality A measure of certain physical andchemical properties of water against nationaland international standards.

Dieback The common name for the disease causedby the introduced water mould Phytophthoracinnamomi. This disease can cause up to 40 percent of the plants in the jarrah forest to die,including jarrah, bull banksia, snotty gobble,balga/grass tree and she oaks.

Turbidity A measure of the amount of suspendedparticles in the water. The more particles, themore dirty/muddy the water looks.

Soil salinity Is the measure of electricalconductivity of a soil and water sample and isexpressed in microsiemens per centimetre at250 (µS/cm). Relates to the amount of watersoluble salts in the soil. These salts at highlevels are harmful to plant growth and increasesthe chance of soil erosion.

Habitat The place where animals live, includingplaces they eat, sleep and breed.

Threatened species A species of plant or animalthat has suffered a decline in populationnumbers to the extent that if no action is takento conserve the species it may becomevulnerable, endangered or even extinct.

Introduced species A species of plant or animalthat is not native to the area. Plants andanimals from the eastern states fit thisdescription and should be consideredintroduced, even though they are Australian.

Rehabilitation The process of repairing an areathat is damaged in an attempt to return it to itsoriginal state.

Water cycle The movement of water from theatmosphere to the earth and back to theatmosphere through precipitation, runoff,infiltration, percolation, storage, evaporationand transpiration.

Surface water/runoff Water that flows acrossthe surface of the ground and runs into awater body, such as a stream. Along the way, it may pick up and carry soil particles,vegetation and pollution.

Organic matter Any dead plant or animalmaterial.

Vegetation Plants, including trees, shrubs,grasses, moss and bushes.

Canopy The upper layer of vegetation of a forest.

Ground cover Vegetation that grows low to theground, covering the soil surface.

Short cutting Taking a different route through thebush off the designated path. Usually donenear the bend in a walking track to save timeand distance. In reality, short cutting saves littletime nor distance and causes erosion andconsiderable damage to vegetation.

Evaporation The process by which water changesfrom a liquid to a gas.

Condensation The process by which waterchanges from a gas to a liquid.

Transpiration The process of evaporating waterfrom stomata (tiny pores on the underside ofleaves). The water was taken up by the plantfrom the soil.

Precipitation Technical name for rain. Whenwater droplets come together in the sky untilthey are too heavy to be supported by the airand fall towards the ground.

Watertable The level of a body of ground waterwhich has a pressure equal to that ofatmospheric pressure, below this level the soil is completely saturated with water.

Porous Is a description of how well, or poorly, asurface absorbs and holds water.

Percolation The downward movement of waterthrough soil and rocks.

Impervious Not allowing, or allowing with greatdifficulty, the penetration of water into orthrough a surface.

Infiltration The movement of water through thepores of soil or other porous medium.

56 Catchment Carers’ Trail - A Cleaner Glass of H2O

Useful resourcesBelow is a list of useful sites about water and catchments

Water Corporation WA - http://www.watercorporation.com.au/

Overview of WA water topics -

Yarra Valley Water - http://www.yvw.com.au/waterschool/

‘Water is Our Future’ Teacher ResourceFile – Middle Childhood The following topic booklets within the filecontain activities related to caring for ourcatchments:

• Value of Water

• Water and Public Health

• Our Drinking Water Catchments

• Perth’s Water Supply

• The Golden Pipeline

‘Water is Our Future’ Teacher ResourceFile – Early Adolescence The following topic booklets within the filecontain activities related to caring for ourcatchments:

• Water and the World

• Drainage Systems in the Community

• Climate Change and Future Water Supplies

• Country Water Supply in the South ofWestern Australia

• Sustainable Water Use Across Our State

Recommended:Curriculum resources available from Water Corporation

DVD resources • Catchment to Tap

• The Value of Water - A day in the Life ofWestern Australia

Contact the Education section of WaterCorporation on 9420 3016 for further details.

Dieback resources - Dieback Working Group - www.dwg.org.au

Alcoa World Alumina Australia has developed adisease-resistant strain of jarrah

johnand

Typewritten Text

For more information on this and other resources, please contact:

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0109

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