World Rivers Day

World Rivers Day is a celebration of the World’s Waterways! It highlights the many values of our rivers, strives to increase public awareness, and encourages the improved stewardship of all rivers around the world. Rivers in virtually every country face an array of threats, and only through our active involvement can we ensure their health in the years ahead.

Murrumbidgee river — Murrumbidgee River © Bidgee

Australia has 439 rivers, many of these rivers are quite small and are tributaries that flow into larger rivers.

Celebrate World Rivers Day with me for Riverfest. Riverfest is the Parramatta River Catchment Group’s annual event – celebrating the Parramatta River and surrounding creeks and environment!

I will be delivering FREE live virtual excursions on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 September. If you are in Sydney you can join me at the Paint the River on World Rivers Day event at Paramatta Park on Sunday 29 September.

Where the river meets the sea title slide

FREE live Virtual Excursion at 2pm on Thursday 26 September

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Water and the Environment Trivia FREE live Virtual Excursion at 1pm on Friday 27 September

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A river is a natural watercourse flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of water.

Find out more about Rivers

A catchment is an area where water is collected by the natural landscape. A catchment is usually surrounded by hills or mountains. Gravity causes rain, melting snow and other water in the catchment to run downhill where it flows into creeks, rivers, lakes and eventually the ocean. The water that seeps below ground and settles in the soil and the space between rocks is called groundwater.

Find out more about Catchments

March 22, 2024March 22, 2024

World Water Day 2024

Today is World Water Day, the 22 March highlights the importance of freshwater. The day is used to promote the sustainable management of freshwater resources. This years theme of World Water Day 2024 is ‘Water for Peace’.

Water is essential for all life and is the most abundant substance on Earth, yet water scarcity is one of the biggest issues facing us today. Australia is the world’s driest inhabited continent and 2019 was on of the the hottest and driest year on record. Because of many years of dry conditions, the drought worsened in 2019, resulting in Australia’s driest year on record. With area-average rainfall of just 277.6 mm almost the entire continent was in drought.

However in many part of the world, Water can create peace or spark conflict. When water is scarce or polluted, or when people have unequal, or no access, tensions can rise between communities and countries. More than 3 billion people worldwide depend on water that crosses national borders. Yet, only 24 countries have cooperation agreements for all their shared water.

As climate change impacts increase, and populations grow, there is an urgent need, within and between countries, to unite around protecting and conserving our most precious resource. Public health and prosperity, food and energy systems, economic productivity and environmental integrity all rely on a well-functioning and equitably managed water cycle.

Find out more with UN Water

Even through water covers 75% of the earth’s surface, only a very small amount is freshwater that can be used directly by people, animals and plants. This is because:

97% of this water is in oceans and is too salty for people, animals or plants to use
2% is frozen at the north and south poles, in glaciers and on snowy mountain ranges
Only 1% is avaiable as freshwater in rivers, lakes and groundwater.

Earths water vector illustration. Labeled global liquids ecosystem scheme. Environmental fresh — Earths water: ocean, river, sea and groundwater ©: normaals

Water is a precious resources and it is up to us to care and manage water for the future.

This World Water Day think of how you can use water more wisely in your daily life. Below is some information to help you get started.

How to be Waterwise

The Urban Water Cycle

The natural water cycle has been modified by people to ensure a constant water supply and the safe disposal of wastewater. The Urban Water Cycle incorporates the Water Supply System, Wastewater system and the Stormwater system.

Why is Water Important

Water is the most common substance found on earth, so why is it important? Water is essential for all forms of life and can dissolve nearly anything. It can exist as a gas (water vapour and steam), a liquid (water) and a solid (ice).

March 22, 2022March 22, 2023

World Water Day

Today is World Water Day, the 22 March highlights the importance of freshwater. The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. This years theme is “Groundwater – making the invisible visible” and explores the importance of groundwater.

Water covers 75% of the earth’s surface, however only a very small amount is freshwater that can be used directly by people, animals and plants because:

97% of this water is in oceans and is too salty for people, animals or plants to use
2% is frozen at the north and south poles, in glaciers and on snowy mountain ranges
Only 1% is avaiable as freshwater in rivers, lakes and groundwater.

Groundwater is invisible, but its impact is visible everywhere. Our drinking water and sanitation, our food supply and natural environment–all these rely on groundwater.

Groundwater is critically important to the healthy functioning of ecosystems, such as wetlands. In deltas and coastal areas, groundwater also ensures the stability of the ground and prevents seawater intrusion under the land.

Groundwater is invisible, but its impact is visible everywhere.

Under our feet, groundwater is a hidden treasure that enriches our lives.

Almost all of the liquid freshwater in the world is groundwater.

As climate change gets worse, groundwater will become more and more critical.

We need to work together to sustainably manage this precious resource.

Groundwater may be out of sight, but it must not be out of mind.

Australian Environmental Education resources

How to be Waterwise

The Urban Water Cycle

Why is Water Important

October 14, 2021November 3, 2021

National Water Week

National Water Week aims to build awareness around the value of water. Access to clean water is hugely important to our daily lives, and it’s down to all of us to protect our water environments and resources, and use water wisely.

white faced heron wading in mangroves in brisbane nature reserve a symbol of diminshing fishing stocks adn waterbrids

What is Water?

Water is essential for all life and is the most abundant substance on Earth. Water covers 75% of the earth’s surface, however only a very small amount is freshwater that can be used directly by people, animals and plants. This issue with the available freshwater creates competing pressures for our water resources.

Follow the journey of water down the river through the catchment to the sea. Think about the different land uses in your local catchment and the variety of impacts they have on our precious water resources.

Education resources

Australian Environmental Education has a range education resources to help you teach about the importance of water.

Education resources

Explore the importance of water, water usage and water saving ideas with the Every drop counts activity.

Every drop counts, being water wise!

Water moves through the environment by the Water Cycle. This activity investigates the journey of a river through the catchment. Follow water through the environment and explore the changes to water quality over time. This learning activity is the first part of a sequence of 5 individual learning activities focused on Catchment Management.

January 31, 2021June 11, 2023

World Wetland Day

Celebrating 50 Years of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. This years theme is ‘Wetlands and Water’, highlights the role wetlands play in: clean water.

World Wetlands Day is an international day celebrated each year on 2 February. The 2 February marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.

The Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Convention aims to halt the global loss of wetlands and to conserve those that remain through wise use and management. Worldwide there are more than 2,400 listed wetlands of international importance.

In Australia there are 66 Ramsar sites wetlands of international importance covering about 8.3 million hectares. These sites include iconic wetlands such as Kakadu National Park, Roebuck Bay, Gippsland Lakes, Moreton Bay, Blue Lake, Macquarie Marshes and the Coorong.

Aerial view of Silt Jetties at Gippsland Lakes Reserve, Victoria, Australia — Gippsland Lakes, Victoria

Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, NT, Australia — Gippsland Lakes, Victoria

Australia was one of the 5 founding nations to sign the Convention. In 1974 we designated the world’s first Ramsar Wetland, the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory. Australia continues to play an important role helping to manage and implement the Convention, within Australia and internationally.

Wetlands are areas of land saturated or flooded with water permanently or seasonally. There are a variety of wetlands including:

Inland wetlands: marshes, peatlands ponds, lakes, rivers, floodplains, swamps, fens
Coastal wetlands: saltwater marshes, estuaries, mangroves, lagoons, coral reefs
Human-made wetlands: fish ponds, reservoirs, saltpans

Find out more about the importance of wetlands and water

The Natural Water Cycle

The natural water cycle shows the constant movement of water around the world. Water moves through the processes of evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, run-off, infiltration and percolation.

The Urban Water Cycle

Why is Water Important

How to be Waterwise

October 16, 2020October 26, 2020

National Water Week 2020

The theme for National Water Week 2020 is Reimagining our Water Future. How can you reimagine the way you use and reuse water to ensure there’s enough of it in the future? Use these resources from Australian Environmental Education and beyond to rethink your current water practices. Remember what you do as an individual and as a communities can make a difference; every drop counts.

Even though water is the most common substance found on earth, less than 1% is available as freshwater. We need to conserve and protect freshwater resources, consider your use of Water.

Education resources

Every drop counts, being water wise

The Every Drop Counts learning activity explores the many ways that water is used, how you can reduce your water usage and reuse water.

How to Be Waterwise

Water is essential for all life and is the most abundant substance on Earth, yet water scarcity is one of the biggest issues facing us today. Australia is the world’s driest inhabited continent and has the lowest rainfall and the lowest water runoff. Most water is Australia is used in Agriculture reducing environmental flows.

You can be part of the solution by looking at your water usage and exploring way that you can be more Waterwise.

The Urban Water Cycle

Why is Water Important

Australian Water Association

The AWA has extensive list of educational resources that explore all the different aspects of water including the water cycle, the sustainability goals, Indigenous water knowledge, how to save water, caring for our catchments, and general water education.