catchment
n. C / Un. the specific area where a school gets its students or a hospital gets its patients. It can also mean the area of land where all the rain collects into one river or lake.
n. the geographical area served by a specific institution, such as a school or hospital; also the entire land area that drains into a particular watercourse or reservoir.
We moved house to be inside the school's catchment area.
The new regional hospital has a vast catchment that includes several remote rural villages and two small towns.
Heavy industrial runoff from the upper catchment has significantly degraded the water quality of the estuary, impacting local fishing industries and biodiversity.
From catch + -ment.
Often used in the compound phrase 'catchment area' when referring to social services or education.