HEF8: Maintain designed or engineered waterbodies
What you must do to get paid for this action and advice on how to do it.
This is an action in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme: expanded offer for 2024. You must read the SFI scheme information to understand the scheme rules and how to apply.
Duration
5 years
How much you’ll be paid
£2,512 per hectare (ha) per year – you can only include the land area where you’ll do this action (not the area of water)
You can calculate the hectarage by:
- measuring the length of the buffer strip in metres (m)
- multiplying that length by the relevant width (4m to 20m) to give the area in square metres (m2)
- dividing that area by 10,000 to convert it into ha
Action’s aim
This action’s aim is that there’s a designed or engineered historic waterbody with:
- an intact vegetated grass buffer strip around the water body and any associated features throughout the year
- minimal bare ground and scrub
- the majority of the water surface not permanently shaded
- associated structural water control features maintained
The purpose of this is to:
- protect the banks and associated historic built water control features of designed or engineered historic water bodies
- maintain or strengthen the role of the water control features in water quality management
- conserve the character of the waterbody
- help to maintain and conserve landscape character
Where you can do this action
You can do this action on land which contains an eligible designed or engineered water body and is:
- an eligible land type (as defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information)
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
An eligible designed or engineered water body for this action must have an artificially retained area of open standing water. There may be associated structural water control features, such as leats and culverts.
The following waterbodies are not eligible for this action:
- field ponds dug to below the water table
- water meadows (both bedwork and catch meadow systems)
- water bodies that are covered by the Reservoirs Act 1975
- raised water bodies the Environment Agency has identified as high risk under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010
Eligible land
| Eligible land type | Eligible land cover | Compatible land use code |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary grassland | Arable land | TG01 |
| Permanent grassland | Permanent grassland | PG01 |
| Woodland | Woodland | WO12 |
Eligibility of protected land
| Protected land | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) | Eligible – you must get SSSI consent before you do this action (read section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this) |
| Historic and archaeological features | Eligible – you must get a SFI HEFER before you do this action (read section 5.6 ‘Land with historic or archaeological features’ in the SFI scheme information to find out how to do this) |
Available area you can enter into this action
Part of the available area in a land parcel.
Rotational or static action
This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.
What to do
You must establish and maintain a permanently vegetated buffer strip that’s:
- at least 4m wide along its entire length and up to 20m wide (on average in each land parcel)
- on the perimeter or bank around the water body and around any associated water control features
You must maintain the buffer strip in a way that can reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim, including:
- minimising bare ground and compaction
- minimising scrub on the banks of the water body
- making sure there’s no more than a quarter of the water body permanently shaded by vegetation or tree growth
- removing all cut material
To maintain the structural features associated with the water body, you must:
- complete a visual assessment of the features to check their condition and identify any required maintenance works and minor repairs – you must produce a structures maintenance record
- carry out maintenance works and minor repairs on structural features associated with the water body on a ‘like-for-like’ basis
- keep any non-traditional material that was previously used to repair or re-clad the features
You must not:
- alter the depth, shape, profile and design of the built water body and associated engineering
- erect new fences
You can maintain an existing vegetated buffer strip to get paid for this action if it:
- meets this action’s requirements
- is not already being paid for under another environmental land management scheme option, such as Countryside Stewardship (CS) option HS6 (maintenance of designed/engineered water bodies)
When to do it
You must:
- establish the buffer strip within 12 months of this action’s start date
- maintain the buffer strip throughout each subsequent year of this action’s duration
- complete the visual assessment of the structural features associated with the water body at least once during each year of this action’s 5-year duration
- carry out any necessary maintenance works and minor repairs within 12 months of identification, or by this action’s end date if you identify the need for maintenance or repair during the final year of this action’s duration
How to do it
It’s up to you how you do this action, as long as you:
- follow this action’s requirements – these are identified by a ‘must’
- do the action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve this action’s aim
You may find it helpful to read the ‘advice to help you do this action’, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.
Evidence to keep
You must keep the required structures maintenance record.
You must also keep evidence to show what you’ve done to complete this action, such as:
- field operations at a land parcel level and associated invoices
- photographs or other documentation
If it’s not clear that you’ve done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, we may ask for this evidence.
You must supply the evidence if we ask for it.
Other actions or options you can do on the same area as this action
You can do the following actions or options on the same area in a land parcel as this action.
Some actions or options can only be done on the same area if they’re done at a different time of year to this action. For example, winter cover followed by a summer companion crop. Read ‘What to do’ and ‘When to do it’ to find out when this action must be done.
| Scheme | Action or option codes | |
|---|---|---|
| SFI 2024 actions | OFC1, OFM1, AGF1, AGF2, PRF2, CMOR1 | |
| SFI 2023 actions | MOR1 | |
| CS options | WD2, OR1, OT1 | |
| ES options | No ES revenue options | |
| SFI pilot standards | No area-based SFI pilot standards |
If an action or option cannot be located on the same area, you may be able to do it on a different area in the same land parcel. Read section 6 ‘Eligible land in other funding schemes’ in the SFI scheme information for more details.
You can do the following actions or options on the eligible boundaries of a land parcel entered into this action:
- SFI 2024 actions: CHRW1, CHRW2, CHRW3, BND1, BND2 and WBD2
- SFI 2023 actions: HRW1, HRW2, HRW3
- CS option BE3 (management of hedgerows)
- the introductory level of the SFI pilot hedgerows standard
Advice to help you do this action
The following advice may help you to do this action, but it’s not part of this action’s requirements.
Carrying out maintenance works
To help you achieve this action’s aim, you can:
- regularly inspect buffer strips to make sure no scrub is developing
- inspect associated structural water control features to make sure they are working properly
- clear vegetation from leats, sluices, hatches and dams, and repointing retaining walls
As water levels are lower and more of the structural features associated with the water body are visible, summer is usually the best time for you to:
- completing the visual assessment of the features
- carrying out maintenance works and minor repairs
Updates to this page
Published 21 May 2024Last updated 5 August 2024 + show all updates
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Where you can do this action - an eligible land type is defined in section 5.1 ‘Eligible land types for SFI’ in the SFI scheme information. Eligibility of protected land - updated link to section 10.3 ‘SSSI consent’ in the SFI scheme information. Published voluntary advice to help you do this action, but it's not part of this action’s requirements.
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First published.