What the action involves
This action’s aim is to manage lakes or other bodies of water larger than 2 hectares (ha), so they’re in a good condition by the end of your agreement.
The purpose is to benefit biodiversity through maintaining and improving water quality and habitat quality.
What you must do
Your Natural England adviser will assess your land. They’ll work with you to adapt and agree the activities you must do to achieve this action’s aim. All mandatory activities will be set out in your agreement document.
To get paid for this action, you must:
- naturalise the hydrology of the lake or body of water by allowing or replicating seasonal fluctuation of water levels
- take steps within your control to maintain clear and unpolluted water
- retain submerged or partially submerged deadwood
The advice you’re given from Natural England is specific to your land which means (where relevant) you may also need to:
- limit grazing around the lake margin
- manage trees, scrub and other vegetation
- manage margins around the waterbody by grazing or cutting
- prevent the use of excess angling baits
You must not:
- introduce plants or animals (including fish and waterfowl) to the waterbody, unless agreed with your Natural England adviser
- use supplementary feeding to enhance the growth or numbers of fish
- artificially change the size, shape or structure of the waterbody or in-fill it, unless agreed with your Natural England adviser
- allow watercraft or water sports to harm the wildlife or damage the shore or body of water
- add dyes to the water
- feed wildfowl (if there’s public access to the pond, you should discourage wildfowl feeding)
When to do it
You must do this action each year of its duration.
Evidence to keep
You must keep evidence to show what you have done to complete this action. If it’s not clear that you have done this action in a way that could reasonably be expected to achieve its aim, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) may ask for this evidence.
You must supply the evidence if they ask for it, including:
- field operations at a parcel level
- associated invoices
- photographs relevant to the action
Where you can do it
You can do this action where you have management control of both the lake or body of water and the shore. If possible, you should include the whole lake or body of water in your agreement.
You can only do this action if you have an implementation plan or feasibility study agreed with Natural England.
You should have an appropriate buffering, riparian or habitat action surrounding the lake or body of water, unless you get approval from your Natural England adviser to do this action on its own.
You cannot do this action where you’re likely to need to partially or fully drain the water during the lifetime of the agreement.
Eligible land
You can do this action on land that’s:
- an eligible land type
- registered with an eligible land cover on your digital maps
- declared with a land use code which is compatible with the eligible land cover
Available area
Total available area of the lake or body of water.
This action is for lakes and other bodies of water larger than 2ha. If the waterbody is smaller than 2ha, you should use action CWT15: Manage ponds and bodies of water up to 2ha.
Rotational or static
This action is static. This means you must do it at the same location each year of this action’s duration.
Consents and permissions
To apply for this action, you’ll need:
- to agree an implementation plan or feasibility study with your Natural England adviser
- Scheduled Monument Consent from Historic England for any work on scheduled monuments
- consent from Natural England for any activity on land designated as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
- to obtain any necessary consents from the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) or Internal Drainage Board (IDB) before starting any work
You may also need to:
- get advice from your Natural England adviser if you have other archaeological or historic features on your agreement land
- apply for a felling licence from the Forestry Commission to carry out some activities in this action
- get a wildlife licence from Natural England if your activities affect a protected species or their habitat
All archaeological and historic features (including scheduled monuments) are identified in your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER).
If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to check whether your tenancy agreement allows you to complete what’s required in the actions you choose. You may need your landlord’s consent.
Capital grants that support it
If you need to complete an implementation plan or a feasibility study before you apply, you can apply for capital grants plans funding.
You can also apply for capital items to help you achieve the action’s aims. Your Natural England adviser will discuss eligible capital items with you.
