River Tawe

Looking upstream in Pontardawe
Swansea Bay barrage
Marina at the River Tawe estuary

The River Tawe (Welsh: Afon Tawe; Welsh pronunciation: [taʊ.ɛ]) is a river in South Wales. It flows in a principally southwesterly direction for some 48 km (30 mi) from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone hills of the western Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach Rivers and the Afon Twrch. The total area of the catchment is some 246 km2 (95 square miles).[1] The Tawe passes through a number of towns and villages including Ystradgynlais, Ystalyfera, Pontardawe, and Clydach and meets the sea at Swansea Bay below Swansea. The Tawe Valley (Cwm Tawe in Welsh) is more commonly known as the Swansea Valley.

The lower part of the valley was intensely industrialised in the 18th and 19th centuries and was especially impacted by metal refining and working and to a much lesser extent by porcelain manufacture. Large areas of the lower valley remain contaminated by industrial spoil containing copper, lead, nickel and zinc. The only significant extant relic of those times is a major nickel refinery at Clydach which is part of the Canadian company Vale Inco. The quality of the river has now greatly improved. Large salmon swim up the river to spawn, whilst trout are in abundance.

In 1992, a barrage was built at the mouth of the river.

National Cycle Route 43 follows this river for much of its course.

Bridges and crossings

Bridges over the River Tawe within the City and County of Swansea, from north to south:

Future developments

There are plans for further housing developments on both east and west banks of the River Tawe and a proposal to operate river taxis along the river.[2] A report was commissioned by Natural Resources Wales in 2015 as part of its 'Tawe Trial' initiative - completed by regeneration consultants Trilein Ltd. it recommended a number of initiatives to better connect the urban areas on the west of the river with the more rural areas of Kilvey Hill and Crymlyn Bog beyond to the east.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "First Water Resources Survey : Report", South West Wales River Authority, Published 1970, Page 41; Table 1
  2. ↑ Wales Online - Move to make Swansea a European city of distinction
  3. ↑ http://www.trilein.com/links-resources

Coordinates: 51°37′N 3°56′W / 51.617°N 3.933°W / 51.617; -3.933

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