The designated bathing area is situated on Frensham Great Pond's northern edge. Bathing
is restricted to a marked sandy beach area in front of the Ranger's Office and main
car park. The pond is surrounded by protected common heath land. The pond is also
very popular with sailors and anglers.
The Environment Agency monitoring has shown the bathing water to have a consistent
high standard of bathing water quality. There have therefore been no recent investigations.
Surface water drains are not considered to pose a risk to the bathing water quality
of Frensham Great Pond. The Environment Agency works closely with Waverley Borough
Council in immediately identifying any blue-green algal blooms that could pose a health
risk to bathers.
Modern sewerage systems have two separate systems, one takes foul sewage to sewage
treatment, the other takes rainwater runoff through surface water drains to rivers,
lakes and the sea. Misconnections occur when waste water pipes are plumbed into surface
water drains instead of the foul water sewerage system. This can give rise to pollution
when the waste water is discharged directly to the environment through the surface
water drain. For example, a washing machine or toilet may be incorrectly plumbed so
that it discharges to the surface drain rather than the foul sewage drain.
For the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, phytoplankton
(microscopic algae) was assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable for 14% of
visits, with 21% of visits noting the presence of phytoplankton (microscopic algae).
Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) increase in number (or “bloom”) at certain times
of the year. If a bloom of blue-green algae is visible you are advised not to enter
the water and to contact your local authority health contact for help and advice.
If the amount of blue-green algae in the water exceeds safety limits, the pond will
be closed to bathers for their own safety.
There are no active pollution risk forecasts made at this bathing water. However any
bathing water has the potential to be affected by a pollution incident and if this
occurs a pollution risk warning with associated advice against bathing will be issued
on this website.
The pond is fed by streams from the south. These are therefore not considered to have
any significant impact on bathing water quality, due to the bathing water's location
on the northern edge of the pond.
Environment Agency samplers make observations of litter present on the beach at every
visit, this includes assessments of sewage debris, litter and tar. At Frensham Great
Pond for the four year (2020-2023) assessment period where data is available, sewage
debris was not assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable, but was observed
as being present on 2% of visits. Litter was assessed as being sufficient to be objectionable
for 9% of visits, with 66% of visits noting the presence of litter. Tarry residue
was not noted at this site.
Frensham Great Pond is located within the western section of Frensham Common. Frensham
Common is an area of open sandy heath land with one hotel and a few scattered residential
dwellings.
Seaweed (macroalgae) and phytoplankton (microscopic algae) are a natural part of the
marine and freshwater environment. Below we note whether these have been recorded
in quantities sufficient to be a nuisance.
The majority of sewers in England are “combined sewers” and carry both sewage and
surface water from roofs and drains. A storm overflow operates during heavy rainfall
when the sewerage system becomes overwhelmed by the amount of surface water. The overflow
prevents sewage from backing up pipes and flooding properties and gardens. An emergency
overflow will only operate infrequently, for example due to pump failure or blockage
in the sewerage system.
Heavy rain falling on pavements and roads often flows into surface water drains or
highway drains, ending up in local rivers and ultimately the sea. The quality of bathing
water may be adversely affected as a result of such events.
It is the Environment Agency role to drive improvement of water quality at bathing
waters that are at risk of failing higher standards. It is natural for water to run
off the land to the sea. Water quality at a bathing water is dependent upon the type
and area of land (the catchment) draining to the water and the activities undertaken
in that catchment.
