Swansea Bay

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Swansea Bay (Welsh: Bae Abertawe) is an inlet of the Bristol Channel lying south of Swansea, Wales. Other places on the bay include Mumbles and Port Talbot. The River Neath and River Tawe flow into the bay.

Oyster fishing was once an important industry in Swansea Bay, employing 600 people at its height in the 1860s. However, overfishing, disease and pollution had all but wiped out the oyster population by 1920. In 2005 plans were announced to reintroduce the industry.

Contents 1 Pollution 2 Power generation 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Pollution

For the last two decades of the 20th Century, the bay was blighted by pollution, partly from the surrounding heavy industry and partly from sewerage outlets being sited at inadequte locations. Adding to the problem is the natural current flow of the waters in the bay which did not move the polluted waters further out to sea. Efforts have been made by the local authority to reduce the pollution in the bay but care had to be taken to ensure the pollution did not move to the popular beach resorts on the south Gower instead.

The Sewer outlet out of the bay was made inactive in around 1996. A new outlet was made, extending further out to sea. The sewerage from this outlet is treated by a £90 million treatment plant. It is hoped that Swansea Bay will achieve Blue Flag status sometime in the latter half of the millennium decade.

[edit] Power generation

Swansea Bay (along with the rest of the UK) has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world. This offers a potential for electricity generation using tidal lagoons. The bay is set to host the world's first tidal lagoon by approximately 2009.^[1] It will be sited about a mile offshore and will be about 5 square kilometers in size.

In addition to tidal power, construction of an offshore windfarm in the Bay has been approved.^[2] The windfarm will be sited at Scarweather Sands, about three miles off the coast and visible from Porthcawl.

[edit] References

1. ^ source: http://www.tidalelectric.com/Projects%20UK.htm
2. ^ source: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/contentlookup.cfm?ucidparam=20041005181339

[edit] External links

• Swansea Bay Official site from South West Wales Tourist Board
• The Swansea Bay partnership
• Visit Swansea Bay
• Forces of Nature: Swansea Bay: Beach Information

Coordinates: 51°35′N 3°54′W