Rural Payments and Services

For recent changes to this guidance, please see the bottom of the page.

The aim of this item is to improve water quality by creating a pond to intercept and treat run-off that currently discharges direct to a watercourse or freshwater drain. Ponds can improve water quality through natural processes including filtration, retention and biological breakdown.

Any land is eligible, provided that it meets all of the requirements set out below.

This option must be combined with:

• Stock Fence

Additionally, ponds receiving field run-off only must be combined with the capital item for:

• Rural sustainable drainage systems - sediment traps or bunds

Ponds that only receive roof run-off can be standalone but those that receive run-off from a steading must be combined with the capital option for:

• Rural sustainability drainage systems - sediment traps or bunds

or

• Rural sustainable drainage systems - swales
  
  

You can check if this item is available on your holding here.

You must prepare a plan that must include a map of the relevant fields / steading, identifying the location of the rural sustainable drainage system feature.

For rural sustainable drainage system features receiving run-off from a steading, the plan must include a calculation of the size of the rural sustainable drainage system features including the amount of run-off draining to it (treatment volume).

You must also produce a diffuse pollution steading assessment.

• run-off must first enter a sediment trap prior to pond
• only run-off which does not fall within the definition of slurry may be conveyed to a pond
• run-off from pesticide handling or washdown areas must not be conveyed to a retention pond
• fencing should be provided to protect people and livestock
• existing ponds must not be used
• you must obtain planning permission, or have confirmation that planning permission is not required for your proposed pond

Where a pond is used in combination with a swale or sediment trap, the pond must be sited downstream of these other rural sustainable drainage system features.

You can claim £15.00 per square metre (excluding fencing).

The inspectors will check:

• the location and extent of the retention pond
• run-off first enters a sediment trap prior to pond
• only run-off which does not fall within the definition of slurry is conveyed to a pond
• run-off from pesticide handling or wash-down areas is not conveyed to a retention pond
• fencing should be provided to protect people and livestock
• existing ponds are not used

Supporting guidance is available for this item.

Section	Change
Eligibility	Further information on what capital items this option must be combined with
Spatial targeting	Updated targeting map
Application requirements	Further requirement relating to a calculation of the size of the drainage system
Requirements	Extra requirement added regarding ponds that are a combination of pond and swale

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