* In areas which have very heavy storms it may be dangerous to prevent the water completely from flowing down a slope. Build waterways or drains at a slight angle (1⁄2 degree - 1 degree) so that excess water is safely channeled away.
{{procontable | proborder="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="center"|-! width="50%" style="background:#efefef;" | Advantages! style="background:#ffdead;" | Disadvantages|-| valign="top" | - Facilitates recharge into surrounding ground which in turn improves soil moisture <br>
- Improves agricultural productivity and grazing potential as well as increases water for livestock and therefore mitigates against drought <br> - Reduces soil erosion <br>
- Can assist recharge of shallow wells <br>
- Prevents pollutants from draining into water bodies <br>
- Gully plugs: no trench design required, just uses existing gully drainage pattern <br>
| convalign= "top" | - Recharge of groundwater is not certain according to local sub-surface conditions (geological layers blocking infiltration) <br>
- Trenches silt up and will need maintenance <br>
- Lack of understanding by landowners about advantages of contour trenches; difficult to convince them during the first year to give their land for trench construction <br>
- Costly and in-depth analysis of hydrology/runoff gullies <br>
- Recharge capacity/permeability information is needed, which is difficult to get if no in-depth rainfall data is available <br>
- Expensive cost of implementation where mechanical excavating machinery is used<br>|}}
==Resilience to changes in the environment==