Lime treatment of silty and clayey soils is a well-know and widely applied technique in transport infrastructure works (roads, highways, airfields, railways...). But the use of lime treated soils in a hydraulic context is less developed. However, some examples were reported and detailed testimonials of applications of this technique, realized from the 1970s, can be found, mostly in the United States, South of Africa, Asia and Australia. During the last decade, the benefits of lime treatment were evidenced for the enhancement of mechanical properties and stability of earthen structures, for the resistance to internal and external erosion of treated materials, and for the possibility to maintain low permeability. An experimental earthfill dike was built, in the frame of the French research program "DigueELITE" and successfully tested against surface erosion and real scale overflow. Thanks to this experience and also to the large amount of results collected since 2005, it becomes possible to provide recommendations for the use of lime treated soils in the design of earthfill dikes and small earth dams resistant to mechanical and hydraulic stresses. After a brief description of the most outstanding hydraulic structures using lime-treated components, the paper gives an overview of the performance of soil-lime mixes, as highlighted in recent years, and discusses the resulting benefits for the design and construction of dikes and small dams.