Farm dam

The Freshwater Plan has rules for building a farm dam.

Dams are important on farms for storing water. The Freshwater Plan allows you to build a new dam without a resource consent if the:

• dam is in an intermittent or temporary stream, or a dry gully.
• water depth is less than 3 metres.
• amount of water held by the dam is less than 20, 000m3.
• catchment area above the dam is less than 5 hectares.

If you can't meet all these requirements - then you'll need to apply for a resource consent.

Good practice

Make sure the dam is well designed – get the design checked by a technical expert.

• Include a spillway to allow for floods and overflows.
• Don’t contaminate the water with chemicals or loose dirt during construction.
• Regularly inspect the dam and carry out regular maintenance.

Factsheet

Download building a farm dam [PDF, 2.5 MB]