- Year-round source of good quality water and groundwater recharge
- Environmentally friendly
- Erosion control
- Good for coping with drought, especially when accompanying riverbank storage replenishes sand dam in dry seasons
- Silt management within river basins
- Added soil moisture infiltration
- Regeneration of vegetation along riverbanks
- Sand dam effects on downstream river discharge are generally small (< 10% of runoff).
- Better water quality than surface water dams: protects the water against evaporation, animal contamination and insect & bacteria breeding.
- Sand deposits can be collected and sold for extra income.
- Long lifespan if maintained correctly.