Water use

1. Enhance a large dam that provides significant water for stock, garden and other purposes, so that the benefits of cleaner water can have the greatest impact.
2. A dam with an existing reticulation system for stock is a prime candidate for enhancement.
3. Choose a dam that is best located to service the greatest farm area or number of paddocks.

Can enhancement help solve a problem?

1. Renovating or de-silting a dam is an excellent opportunity for enhancement, and will help retain the value of the dam asset for longer.
2. Dam enhancement can help to stabilize and manage erosion, so a dam that is a key part of the farm’s water system but has eroded banks or inflow could benefit from enhancement.

Reliability & aesthetics

1. While an enhanced dam may retain water for longer, dams that dry out easily are not good candidates – ideally, choose a dam that fairly reliably retains water.
2. A deep dam with smaller relative surface area is ideal, although depth variation is also important for establishing aquatic vegetation.
3. An enhanced dam can be a green hotspot in dry times, and will attract a range of wildlife including birds.

Location in relation to other natural assets on a farm

1. Enhancing a dam that is located close to existing natural assets such as paddock trees, shelterbelts and remnant vegetation can improve habitat for native wildlife, creating a larger and more diverse area of natural habitat. For example, including a paddock tree into the fenced area around a dam will help protect the tree, as well as adding habitat value to the new plantings around the dam.
2. Research by Sustainable Farms indicates that plantings beside dams support higher rates of bird breeding activity than ‘dry’ plantings elsewhere in the landscape.

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