RP12: Check dams
Find out about eligibility and requirements for the check dams item.
This item is part of Capital Grants. You must read the Capital items: guidance for applicants and agreement holders to understand the rules and how to apply.
How much you’ll be paid
£85.29 for each dam.
How this item benefits the environment
Check dams slow the movement of water in ditches, swales and surface water pathways. They slow surface water, allowing sediment and other pollutants to settle to the bottom. They help to improve water quality and reduce downstream flooding and support water resources. Leaky wooden dams are typically used to deliver water resource benefits.
This item can help you protect, recover and improve biodiversity on your land.
Where you can use this item
You can use this item on ditches, swales, and water surface pathways with a feasibility study (that you’ll do before you apply) or the Catchment Sensitive Farming water holding structure action plan you have produced with Natural England either:
- in areas targeted to reduce water pollution from agriculture
- to reduce flood risk
- to improve recharge of groundwater – where permeable soils and geology allow for the capture and storage of groundwater
Catchment Sensitive Farming provides advice where there are water quality or flood risk issues linked to farming.
You’ll need to get relevant advice, permits or consents from the Environment Agency, local council, lead local flood authority or internal drainage board before you start any work.
You must also contact your local planning authority to check if planning permission is needed.
You cannot use this item:
- where it’ll restrict the movement of migratory fish or eels
- to create water resource benefits – use small leaky wooden dams instead
What you must do to use this item
You must follow the requirements set out in your feasibility study or Catchment Sensitive Farming water holding structure action plan.
Evidence you must keep
You must keep and provide with your claim:
- photographs of the site during the different stages of construction or contracts, invoices or other documents confirming the technical specification for the completed works
- photographs of the completed works
You must also keep and provide on request:
- any consents or permissions connected with the work
- receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
- photographs of site before works start
- a copy of your feasibility study or Catchment Sensitive Farming water holding structure action plan
Read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the Agreement holder’s guide: Capital Grants, Higher Tier capital grants and Protection and Infrastructure grants for more information.
Other items you can use with this item
You can use this item with RP11 Swales.
Advice to help you use this item
The following advice may help you to use this item, but you do not have to follow it to get paid. It’s not part of this item’s requirements.
Using several dams
It’s likely you’ll need several dams to manage water flows successfully. On ditches, use a series of multiple dams that are between 5 to 7 times wider than the channel. This prevents woody debris becoming dislodged during floods.
Checking the dams for silt
Check the dam and de-silt it regularly to prevent it collecting large amounts of silt.
Designing and constructing the dam
You’re likely to need to:
- construct the dam from local soils with a high clay content, timber or stone (as appropriate to the local landscape)
- excavate a trench 200 millimetres (mm) deep across the width of the channel, swale or flow pathway
- build up the check dam using 100mm to 600mm grade broken stone, wooden boards, gabions, or earth to a height of 500mm to 750 mm above the floor of the swale
- build the check dam at the down slope end of the trench and leave the upslope end of the trench empty
- make sure side slopes of the check dam are a gradient 1 in 2
- build check dams into the sides of the channel, swale or flow pathway to avoid water bypassing the structure
- protect at least 1 metre (m) to 2m downstream to dissipate energy from the dam
- place an overflow in the centre of the dam to prevent any scouring of the ends of the dam
Sustainable drainage systems on rural land
Improve the management of water on the land by using rural sustainable drainage systems.
Updates to this page
Published 2 April 2015Last updated 3 February 2025 + show all updates
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Amended item - you can now use this item: - to reduce flood risk - in catchments where permeable soils and geology allow for the recharge of groundwater
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Added in links to Capital Grants manual as this option is now available for Capital Grants
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Information updated for applications in 2016.
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First published.