HEF8: Maintain designed or engineered waterbodies

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

What you must 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)
• n 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 option HS6 (maintenance of designed/engineered water bodies)

How to do this action

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.

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

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 No area-based SFI pilot standards 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