1 Statement of significance.
The Surrey Hills boasts a rich diversity of natural and man made features associated with water, including springs, ponds, canals and wooded ghylls. Most are quite small, although larger ponds such as Frensham and Silent Pool are prominent features and visitor attractions. Ponds have featured in the landscape for centuries, often created to satisfy the needs of industry (mill ponds and hammer ponds such as Thursley), agriculture (field ponds), sport (duck decoys), and to act as a focus for communities (village ponds). There are also lots of ponds that can be seen on heathlands and commons derived from bomb craters and from mineral extraction.
The main watercourses are: the meandering Wey with its meadows, pastures and wooded valleys; the Tillingbourne with its rich industrial history including iron, paper, gunpowder and tanning, which still exhibits remnants of its 30 water powered mills, leats, weirs, sluices and hammer ponds; and the Mole which is often considered to be one of the most celebrated and attractive rivers in the south-east, particularly where it meanders through the Mole Gap to Leatherhead. River valleys contain important habitats like water meadows, wet grasses and alder carr.
2 Management issues.
As with so many historic features a lack of management can lead to many water features becoming silted up, over grown, buried and dilapidated. Ponds are now disappearing at an alarming rate. Changes in climate, agriculture and development pressures all have impacts on water quality, flooding, erosion and habitat viability. Larger bodies of water like Frensham Ponds attract great visitor pressure which may have an adverse impact on their environmental quality if not appropriately managed.