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Lakes, Ponds and Reservoirs
Habitat Audit - page 1
Page
2, Page 3
Definition,
London’s
Resource
Lakes, ponds and reservoirs include all areas of standing open
water. Reservoirs, by definition, are artificially created water-bodies,
some of which enclose a very large area of water. All of London’s
lakes are also likely to be artifacts resulting from the damming
of streams to create water features in parks and other formal
landscapes, or as a consequence of mineral extraction (sand and
gravel pits). Some of London’s ponds may have natural origins
but most extant ‘natural’ ponds are likely to be former farm ponds
or marl and clay pits. In more recent years many new ponds have
been dug for aesthetic or nature conservation ponds in parks,
gardens and amenity open spaces; many of these newer ponds have
artificial liners as they do not naturally hold water.
The total area of open water documented in the London Wildlife
Habitat Survey 1984/85 is provided in Table 1. This figure is
based mainly on the larger water-bodies (lakes and reservoirs)
and excludes the majority of smaller ponds. Boroughs such as Enfield,
Waltham Forest and Hillingdon have a particularly high proportion
of standing open water because of the presence of large reservoirs
(in Waltham Forest and Enfield) or extensive former gravel workings
(in Hillingdon). The map provides a picture of the resource across
the capital.
Table 1: Area of Standing Open Water in Greater London
|
Borough
|
Area of Standing Open Water (ha)
|
Percentage of Standing Open Water Resource
in London (%)
|
|
City of London
|
0.5
|
-
|
|
City of Westminster
|
31
|
2
|
|
Barking & Dagenham
|
40
|
2
|
|
Barnet
|
47
|
2.5
|
|
Bexley
|
18
|
1
|
|
Brent
|
29
|
2
|
|
Bromley
|
45
|
2.5
|
|
Camden
|
16
|
1
|
|
Croydon
|
8
|
0.5
|
|
Ealing
|
6
|
0.5
|
|
Enfield
|
320
|
18
|
|
Greenwich
|
7
|
0.5
|
|
Hackney
|
20
|
1
|
|
Hammersmith & Fulham
|
1
|
-
|
|
Haringey
|
25
|
1.5
|
|
Harrow
|
16
|
1
|
|
Havering
|
110
|
6.5
|
|
Hillingdon
|
299
|
17
|
|
Hounslow
|
68
|
4
|
|
Islington
|
2
|
-
|
|
Kensington & Chelsea
|
0.5
|
-
|
|
Kingston upon Thames
|
5
|
-
|
|
Lambeth
|
1.5
|
-
|
|
Lewisham
|
4
|
-
|
|
Merton
|
20
|
1
|
|
Newham
|
100
|
6
|
|
Redbridge
|
45
|
2.5
|
|
Richmond upon Thames
|
130
|
7.5
|
|
Southwark
|
14
|
1
|
|
Sutton
|
12
|
1
|
|
Tower Hamlets
|
58
|
3.5
|
|
Waltham Forest
|
230
|
13
|
|
Wandsworth
|
16
|
1
|
|
London Total
|
1744
|
|
NB:
The above figures exclude canals (but include docks) and have
been amended to take account of changes in borough boundaries
that occurred subsequent to the 1984/85 habitat survey.
Page 2, Page
3
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