Catchment Detox: the ABC Water Catchment Game on Industry and Rivers
Catchment Detox is an online water catchment game from Australia, made with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Players manage a river catchment for 100 turns and try to keep a healthy economy without wrecking the environment.
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How the water catchment game plays
A catchment is the land that water falls on to feed a river. Catchment Detox is a water catchment game that is easy to play and tough to master. The player decides' the player decides how and where to plant crops, when and where to log forests, and where to build factories or set up national parks, across 100 turns. Impact statistics show the economic and environmental result of each choice, and the game gives instant feedback on the cost of removing or changing a land use.
Some activities earn more money but use a lot of water. Others help the environment and bring in little income. Players can add or remove as many activities as they like until money or turns run out.
Experts who manage catchments for a living said the game captures how complex the work is, and offered two tips for both the game and real life: keep the balance between industry and ecology in mind, and move industries away from the edges of watercourses.
The background it drew on
A fact sheet that accompanied the game explains that every area of land is part of a catchment and that soil, plants, animals and water work together inside it. It cites a 2002 assessment by the National Land and Water Resources Audit, which judged the condition of 70% of Australia's most populated catchments to be average or worse.
The sheet argues that damage often comes from not seeing how a change in one part of a catchment affects another, and that an integrated approach to farming, development and tourism would help. The sheet also reminds readers that everyone lives in a catchment, that the water they drink comes from one near them and that all food is grown in one. The game describes itself as a major initiative of the ABC and its partners.
What is true today
No working copy of the game was found for this article. The address abc.net.au/science/catchmentdetox/ now ends on the ABC News science section, which has no page about the game. The address abc.net.au/catchmentdetox/ shows a page-not-found message.
No page opened says the game was retired or moved, so its status is listed as unconfirmed as of November 2026.
Questions about Catchment Detox
What is Catchment Detox?
It is an online water catchment game from Australia in which the player manages a river catchment for 100 turns, balancing farming, logging, industry and conservation.
Who made Catchment Detox?
It was made with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and its partners, according to the game's own background text.
Can Catchment Detox be played now?
A working copy could not be confirmed. The address abc.net.au/science/catchmentdetox/ forwards to the ABC News science section as of November 2026.