Lower Seletar Resevoir

WELCOME TO LOWER SELETAR RESERVOIR!

This is Lower Seletar Reservoir!

Watch this video on Lower Seletar Reservoir!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk39jfeG6Dg

This is the Lower Seletar Resevoir Park. It is a beautiful and pleasant place for leisure jogs or strolls and also to relax.

One of PUB's long term initiatives is the Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters (ABC Waters Programme), which will see the transformation of our network of drains, canals and reservoirs into beautiful and clean streams, rivers and lakes that are well integrated with surrounding parks and green space, bringing people closer to nature.

Can you spot where Lower Seletar Reservoir is?

Our Water Story:)

Water sustainability is crucial to Singapore's success. Singapore has ensured a robust and sustainable supply of water capable of catering to the country's continual growth through the Four National Taps. The four taps or sources of water are water from the local catchment area, imported water, NEWater and desalinated water.

Local catchment area

These are the water catchment areas found in Singapore

Rainwater is collected through a comprehensive network of drains, canals, rivers and storm water collection ponds before it is treated for our drinking water supply. Used water is collected through a separated system.
News Article regarding water catchment areas in Singapore:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1138608/1/.html

Imported water

How the water gets imported from Malaysia to Singapore

Singapore imports water from Johor, Malaysia, under two water agreements. The 1961 agreement will expire in 2061.

Related news article:
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100629-224310.html

NEWater



NEWater is a high-grade reclaimed water. Used water is treated, then further purified using advanced membrane technologies, making the water ultra-clean and safe to drink.

Must watch! Animated process!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1rb13g6dTU

Desalinated water



Singapore has one of Asia's largest sea waters reverse osmosis desalination plants, producing 30 million gallons of water a day. Singapore's second desalination plant is expected to be completed in 2013.
Related newspaper article: http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110320-269076.html

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmZXa8tgnRU

  What do the ABC learning trail meant to us?

The ABC learning trail meant alot to us as we can get to learn more about Lower Seletar through fun and engaging activities and hands on experiments like the Rain Garden and Water Quality Testing ( eg.) We can get to know the history of Lower Seletar through the station on A Walk Down History. After going through the activity on the Litter Trap, we learnt that litter were thrown in the reservoir by members of the public when they visit the reservoir. Thus, this ABC learning trail meant alot to us because we get to know about the importance of keeping the reservoirs clean and also get to know that each and everyone can play a part to keep reservoirs clean.

Clean water of lower seletar :)

Stations of the ABC learning trail and our reflections

First station we went to is the station on Water Quality Testing at the Fishing Jetty.

This is the picture of our group walking towards the jetty

1) We had to collect some water from the reservoir.




Sean preparing to scoop up water from the reservoir

2) We tested the water for any debris and smell. We smelled the water and it was odourless, we observed that in the water, a few algae was observed but on the water surface, there was nothing observed, so we came to a conclusion that the water was clean. :)




The water is clean and print from debris

3) Next. we observed the colour of the water. According to the facilitators, colour can give us clues on what might be in the water. We observed that the water is slightly green and algae is suspended in water. It indicates that there is an algal bloom, which is usually caused by high nutrients in the water, fertilisers or organic matter. The algae feeds on the high nutrients in the water, thus causing the water to have algal bloom.

4) We tested for the turbidity of the water. Turbidity is the level of "murkiness" of the water. The water tested was 40JIU which meant that the water is quite clean and it is only slighly murky.

5) We test for the temperature of the water next. Our reading of the temperature of the water is 30 degree Celsius. The temperature of the water in the reservoir could range between 20-30 degree Celsius which affects the number of dissolved oxygen. We concluded that the temperature is normal because it is at room temperature which the majority of the aquatic life live in.

6) We test for the dissolved oxygen in the water next. The dissolved oxygen is the amount of oxygen dissolved in a given volume of water, at a given temperature and atmospheric pressure. Our reading of the water is 4ppm which is normal to enable the aquatic life to live in.

7) Lastly, we test for the pH level of the water. When the water is tested at a pH level of 0-6, it means that the water is acidic and when it is at a pH level of 7 it is neutral and when it is pH level 8-14 it is alkali. The pH of the water at the reservoir is 7 which is neutral and is at a tolerable range for most fishes to survive.


        














Through this activity, we learnt how to test for the quality of water by testing for its turbidity, pH level, temperature (eg.). We also learnt that the tolerable Ph range for most fishes is pH 5-9.

Overall, we concluded that the overall quality of water is very good and the water in the reservoir is clean. :)

The Rain Garden

It is also known as the bioretention basin, the rain garden here also collects, detains and treats rainwater run off that flows from the park. The filtered rainwater is then further treated and reused in the water play area and wading stream. Approximately 80m square in size, the rain garden not only enhances the quality of rainwater runoff, but also promotes biodiversity. About 10 species of plants have been planted here.

I have learnt that there are minerals such as nitrate and phosphate present in rainwater. These minerals serve as fertilisers for the plants so the plants will absorb them and make the rainwater cleaner. By using up the mineral, the algae will not grow in the reservoir when the rainwater comes into the Reservoir. Because, if algae grows and is present in the Reservoir, the algae will decompose and start smelling, polluting the water and the algae will also block sunlight for the plants and also compete with the plants for space therefore, affecting the marine life.

Therefore, the Rain Garden helps to beautify the area, serves as a habitat for animals and plants and purify the water. This goes to show that the Rain Garden is a water catchment area.

In our Geography textbook, they stated that water catchment areas  are usually nature reserves because forests can retain a supply of fresh water. Rainwater was intercepted by the trees and plants and is then absorbed by the soil layers on the ground. This will eventually be drained into the reservoir for storage.
Increasing catchment areas will not only help to increase the amount of rainwater collected in a country, but also help keep the cost of water treatment down. This is because rainwater is much cleaner than used water and does not contain common salt unlike seawater. Hence it is easier and less costly to purify. In addition when more land in a country is set aside to build water catchment areas, more forests are conserved in the process. People will thus be able to enjoy a wider range of nature and recreational areas.

Litter Trap



The floating device you see up here is a little trap. It helps to retain litter from our waterways. The litter is then removed so clean water flows into our reservoir for everyone's enjoyment.

As you can see from the picture above, it is located here at the mouth of the river. It is because the wind carry all the litters to this area here. Therefore, the litter trap can help filter the water to make the water cleaner and thus reduce pollution.

Locate the exit of this canal facing the jetty. Can you guess where the pipes are connected to?
These pipes are connected to our households!

Here are the few pollutant we spotted in the litter trap! We have soft drink cans, plastic bottles, plastic bags, pieces of food and leaves. We then suggested the possible sources for the pollutants below:
Cans, bottles, plastic bags and food could come from people carrying out recreational activities here. Activities like running, jogging, picnicking, kayaking etc.

Leaves would come from trees.

Here are some activities and how these may affect the water quality
Jogging & Picnicking -> Litter: Throw their litter anywhere and it goes to this part
Kayaking ->Instead of taking out a piece of tissue paper, some kayakers may choose to spit in the waters, thus polluting the water for their own convenience.
Fishing -> Use worms to fish,  the worms will decompose and make the waters smelly and polluted.

These pollutants cause the water to be polluted and decompose, making the water smelly.

The Government has also put up some campaigns to enlighten the public of the consequences of littering and polluting the water.

From this activity, we have learnt that we should never litter because not only will the it affect us but also the people around us. Because of our convenience, we are putting others fun on the line. This is a very selfish act. After this activity, I have told my family and friends not to litter or commit any acts that would make us regret later. I also will have the initiative to pick up litters from the ground and throw it into a nearby dustbin. Personally, if I have to throw something but cannot find any nearby dustbins, I will keep the litter in my pocket before discarding when I reach home.

A walk down History

In this station,we learn about the history of Lower Seletar Reservoir .It had many different names and was once called Selita,Salaeta and Sletar.People also used to rowed their boats down Seletar River to trade for tobacco and kerosene.Other than a place for trading,it was also once a place for gambier,rubber and pineapple plantations.

There are many different things like the activities,transportation and environment of Seletar in the past that has changed in the present.Some of them are listed below:

Past                                                                  Present

Forest                Physical Environment            Golf Course

Trading              Activities                                Golfing

Boats                 Transportation                        Bicycle

Extra information learnt at the station:

When the reservoir was built in 1920,it was known as Seletar Reservoir.To further ensure it could hold sufficient water,a dam was constructed across the mouth of Seletar River to collect rainwater from the upstream areas during 1986.This became known as Sungei Seletar Reservoir.

However,Seletar Reservoir was renamed Upper Seletar Reservoir while Sungei Seletar Reservoir was renamed Lower Seletar Reservoir during 1992.

Then,in 2004, Lower Seletar Reservoir was opened for water activities to recognise water as a shared resource.

In 2006,the ABC Waters Programme was launched and in 2010,the makeover of Lower Seletar Reservoir under the ABC Waters Programme has been completed.



Words that illustrate concepts of Active, Beautiful and Clean
Active - Jogging, Fishing, Golf, Picnic
Beautiful - Pretty, Picturesque, Tranquil, Pleasant
Clean - Clear, Fresh, Pure, Spotless

REFLECTIONS!
After going through the ABC learning trail, we learnt more about Lower Seletar Reservoir and the importance of conserving water resources. Water is important to Singapore and everyone have a part to play in conserving water resources. We can conserve water by taking shorter showers and turning  the faucet/tap off while we are brushing our teeth, washing our hands, doing dishes, and so on. Through the trail, we also learnt about keeping our waters in the reservoir clean so that our waters can be less polluted. The litter trap that is present in the reservoir helps keep the reservoir clean by trapping litter up. We think that we can encourage visitors to care for Lower Seletar Reservoir and other water bodies by putting up signboards in the reservoirs to let the visitors know about the importance of keeping the water bodies clean and conserving the water. Overall, we find this trail meaningful to us as we can get to learn more about water as a scare resource and through the trail, we can get to learn how to test for the quality of water as well as the history of Lower Seletar Reservoir.
-Tan Shi Ting

I've learnt that it is important for us to know the importance of conserving water. It is really a precious source and all of us has a part to play in the conservation of it. Through the various activities, I realised that to purify rainwater is a tedious task as you have observe for the many factors like the Ph of water, the colour of it, any algae inside to tell the clarity of water and whether it was safe for human consumption. I have also learnt the outcome if we continue to pollute the waters or simply just dump our litter anywhere for our convenience, the consequences will come back to  us. It is a two-way thing and if we pollute the waters then it will make the water dirty and not available for activities such as kayaking, rowing etc. Therefore, it is really important and requires everyone's responsibility to ensure the cleanliness of the reservoir and the fun for people who enjoy recreational activities there! I will also encourage my family to come to the reservoir to play or spend family bonding time there!

-LiQing

I learnt more about Lower Seletar Reservoir and how important it is to keep the reservoir's waters clean. It is the responsibility of the public and all of us have to play a part in maintaining that. It would be selfish of us to dirty the water when we throw rubbish into the reservoir just because we were too lazy to look for a rubbish bin. 
-Deng Chi

I learnt more about the ABC water programme in Lower Seletar Reservoir. and also the importance of conserving water. In Singapore. The plan is now a reality and that we are able to collect/get more water. I learnt that everybody plays a part in keeping the reservoirs clean as everybody could have dirtied the reservoirs' water such as spitting in it, throwing rubbish and more, if we are able to not do such things, the waters would not be polluted and that everybody would enjoy being near reservoirs and doing their recreational activities there more often. It also helped me understand that Singapore has a water shortage and that we have the four national taps to help us with the water shortage --- local catchment areas, imported water, reclaimed water (NEWater) and desalinated water.
-Tessa




Brief summary of the community's responsibility in looking after Lower Seletar

The community holds a great role in taking care of Lower Seletar Reservoir. The public should not litter at Lower Seletar as it will pollute both the environment and the water. Even though there is a litter trap in the reservoir, the public should not litter as it will spoil the image of Lower Seletar and littering serves as a health risks too. So, I think that the community holds a big responsibility in looking after Lower Seletar. Together, we can make Lower Seletar a clean and green place for everyone to enjoy. :)

The Content Of The Postcard We Written

Hi Sarah!
My friends and I went to lower Seletar Resevoir recently. It is such a beautiful place. There are many wonderful and fun activities to do there such as canoeing and more! Lower Seletar Resevoir is a place where you can relax and enjoy the scenery by the water! We should come here together another time! 
Yours Sincerely,
Tessa

Suggest ways to enourage the community to participate in the trail or even visit the reservoir

1) We can come up with a brochure so as to advertise the reservoir and the learning trail.

2) We can perhaps let public know more about the reservoir through organisinng activities for families in the reservoir so as to attract people to come to the reservoir.

Members of the public will have an enjoyable time there! After visiting the reservoir, you will be able to know more about the importance of not littering/ polluting water resources. Some special place that will attract you and you can know more about the living things there and benefits they provide. Many facilities are available there like golf courses and you can spend time there with your family members/ family bonding.