Ponds are generally 1-4 m deep, deep enough to prevent excessive algae or water plant growth, and shallow enough to prevent anaerobic conditions developing at the bottom. But pond size should be decided according to catchment area and number of fillings possible per year. In order to efficiently capture runoff in a catchment, similar design techniques to contour trenches could be employed for infiltration ponds.
{{procontable | proborder="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="center"|-! width="50%" style="background:#efefef;" | Advantages! style="background:#ffdead;" | Disadvantages|-| valign="top" | - Facilitate recharge into surrounding ground which in turn improves soil moisture, improves agricultural productivity and mitigates against drought <br>
- Can assist recharge of shallow wells, boreholes and springs <br>
- Can reduce salinity in groundwater <br>
| convalign= "top" | - They can silt up easily due to lost vegetation cover in catchment area; de-silting takes time and money <br>
- Maintaining dams requires communal effort and communal institutions don’t seem to be strong enough <br>
- High evaporation rates <br>
- High cost of construction – in India, costs estimated at $5,000-10,000 for ponds that are 10,000-15,000m3 in volume. This is similar to other non-percolation ponds (see [[Natural ground catchment and Open water reservoir]] for details).<br>|}}
==Resilience to changes in the environment==
