Natural Water Sources

• Surface water from any source is generally unsafe to drink because it often contains contaminants.
• Rainwater tanks collect surface water, which is useful for watering gardens or washing cars.
• Ensure gutters are cleaned to avoid contamination if rainwater is used for drinking.

Other Water Sources

• Waterholes, rock holes, and springs combine groundwater and surface water.

Rock Holes

• Rock holes form in rocky areas and hold surface water.
• These are crucial for Aboriginal people in arid Australia, providing water in dry landscapes and aiding travel.

Springs

• Springs occur when underground aquifer water surfaces naturally.
• Flow volume depends on water pressure in the aquifer, rainfall, and human use.
• Spring water is usually clear but can be discolored by ground minerals

Rivers

• Rivers are natural streams of water flowing over land, essential for human civilization.
• These provide freshwater to people, plants, and animals, serve as transport routes, provide water power, and shape the land.
• Rivers carve out valleys and canyons over time.

River Stages

• Rivers have three stages: upper, middle, and lower course

The Upper Course

• Rain gathers in highland areas, forming streams that flow downhill, joining others and growing in size and speed.
• A confluence is where two rivers join.
• The river rapidly cuts through land, picking up soil and gravel and creating canyons and deep valleys.

The Middle Course

• The river erodes the land, forming deeper, wider horse-shoe-like loops called meanders.
• The river flows down gentler slopes, growing larger and slower, and soil, gravel, and sand sink to the bottom, forming sandbars and islands.

The Lower Course

• The river flows slowly across flatland, depositing eroded material.
• The river flows slowly and drops solid material, which may form a delta where the river meets the sea.

Erosion and Deposition

• Rivers do not travel in straight lines to overcome obstacles downhill.
• This allows for the erosion and deposition to change the shape of the river.
• Erosion is when materials, like soil or rocks, are moved by wind or water, and these are called sediments.
• Deposition is when sediments drop off in new locations.
• Rivers demonstrate deposition by dropping materials from erosion in new locations.
• Rivers often appear brown or murky from the materials they carry.
• Rivers deposit sediments into lakes or oceans, changing the water's color.

Meanders

• Meanders can merge, causing the water to take a newer, shorter route.
• Deposition of sediments can block off the old river path, forming an oxbow lake.

Explore various natural water sources like rainwater, rock holes, springs, and rivers. Rainwater collection is suitable for non-potable uses, while rock holes are vital for Aboriginal people in arid regions. Springs and rivers provide essential freshwater, each with unique characteristics and importance.