For the love of water

Water is one of the most important substances on earth. All plants and animals must have water to survive.

If there was no water there would be no life on earth. Apart from drinking it to survive, people have many other uses for water.

These include:

•  Cooking.
•  Washing their bodies.
•  Washing clothes.
•  Washing cooking and eating utensils; such as saucepans, crockery and cutlery.
•  Keeping houses and communities clean.
•  Recreation; such as swimming pools.
•  Keeping plants alive in gardens and parks.

Water is also essential for the healthy growth of farm crops and farm stock and is used in the manufacture of many products.

There are many ways in which we can collect water.

Surface water

This is water which falls to the ground as rain or hail.

This water is collected from a special area called a catchment. The catchment feeds water into a holding area via rivers, streams and creeks. The water is then stored in a natural or artificial barrier called a dam or reservoir. Dams are usually placed at the lower end of a valley.

Catchment areas are usually far away from towns or cities to lessen the chance of the water being polluted. There are laws which control human activities, such as farming and recreation in catchment areas and on dams to make sure that water supplies are kept potable.

Excavated dams

Excavated dams are made by scooping out soil to make a large shallow hole. These dams are sometimes placed at the bottom of a slope to aid water collection. However, this can only be done in areas where the soil will not allow the water to drain away very easily through the ground.

Soils which do not allow water to drain away are called impervious.

If a community wants a dam in an area where the soil is not impervious this can still be done by digging the hole and lining it with clay or an impervious liner, such as concrete or heavy plastic. Excavated dams are often used by farmers to supply water to stock.