Affordable. Check dams are a cheap and effective way to improve watershed
conditions. Water flowing quickly down a hillside that lacks vegetation will remove
soil, accelerating erosion and rangeland degradation. If water continues to flow
unrestricted down hillside gullies, it can overburden streams and rivers
downstream and lead to river bank erosion, flashfloods, and sediment buildup –
clogging downstream water infrastructure like dams and irrigation canals. Check
dams also encourage water to percolate through the soil, recharging groundwater
resources and helps re-establish vegetation