River Conwy
Conwy County Borough of Conwy | |
---|---|
City | Conwy |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Migneint moor where a number of small streams flow into Llyn Conwy, Gwynedd |
Conwy estuary | |
• location | Irish Sea, Wales |
Length | 55 km (34 mi) |
Discharge | |
• location | Cwm Llanerch |
• average | 18.59 m3/s (656 cu ft/s)[1] |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | Crafnant |
The River Conwy (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈkɔnʊɨ]; Welsh: Afon Conwy) is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is 55 kilometres (34 mi) long and drains an area of 678 square km.[2] "Conwy" was formerly anglicised as "Conway."
The name 'Conwy' derives from the old Welsh words cyn (chief) and gwy (water), the river being originally called the 'Cynwy'.[3][4][5][6]
It rises on the
Tributaries of the River Conwy
This is a list of named tributaries of the Conwy (and their tributaries) listed from source to sea;
- River Machno at Conwy Falls
- Afon Lledr near Betws-y-coed
- River Llugwy at Betws-y-coed
- Afon Gallt y Gwg
- Nant y Goron at Llanrwst
- Afon Crafnant & Fairy Falls at Trefriw
- Afon Ddu (1) at Dolgarrog
- Afon Porth-llwyd at Dolgarrog
- Afon Dulyn at Tal-y-bont
- Afon Ddu (2)
- Afon Garreg-wen
- Ffrwd Cerriguniawn
- Afon Melynllyn
- Afon Hiraethlynnear Tal-y-cafn
- Afon Roe near Llanbedr-y-Cennin
- Afon Gyffin at Conwy
Geology and geomorphology
The Conwy is bounded to the east by the rolling ancient
To the west, the catchment is underlain by older Cambrian rocks which are harder and the landscape is, as a consequence, more dramatic with high craggy hills and mountains, through which the river falls in cascades and waterfalls. Examples of torrential river geomorphology can be seen at Conwy Falls and in the Lledr Gorge. The land to the east is highly forested with planted non-native conifers.
On the western side of the valley are a number of lakes and reservoirs. The rocks are also rich in minerals and there are many abandoned mine sites where copper, lead and silver have been mined since Roman times.
The river valley downstream of Betws-y-coed is relatively wide and fertile, and supports
SSSI
Aber Afon Conwy is a site of special interest. It has acquired such a status due to its marine and terrestrial biology. The
Culture and history
The scattered communities along the Conwy valley have ancient traditions with
Much of the Conwy valley was laid waste in the Wars of the Roses by the Earl of Pembroke, under the orders of Edward IV, the Yorkist king, following a Lancastrian attack on the town of Denbigh in 1466.
At the mouth of the Conwy as it discharges into
Water quality
Neither the River Conwy or its tributaries are monitored for quality by Natural Resources Wales. The river is routinely polluted by Dŵr Cymru sewage treatment plants and agricultural runoff. Algae blooms are common during the summer months. The river quality tends to be acidic in the headwaters with very low concentrations of the common anions and cations.
Natural Resources Wales monitors water levels in the valley, with a view to giving flood warnings. There are measuring stations at Betws-y-coed (Cwmlanerch),[8] Llanrwst[9] and Trefriw.[10]
The Conwy is noted for its salmon and sea trout, although increasing acidification in the second half of the 20th century, especially in the poorly buffered upland waters has significantly impacted upon their spawning success. The construction of an artificial fish pass in the 1990s to allow migratory salmonids access to the river above Conwy falls was intended to help mitigate the effects of acidification.[11]
The Conwy Crossing, an
Since 2002 the valley has been overlooked by the turbines of the Moel Maelogan wind farm.
Situation
The panorama shows the mouth of the Conwy Estuary from Deganwy Castle, the original defensive position of the area. However, problems with resupply in the event of siege and its destruction by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales in 1263 to prevent it falling into King Edward's hands, led to a new castle being built across the water in Conwy town.
See also
- Conwy Valley Line(railway line)
- List of crossings of the River Conwy
- Rivers of Great Britain
- List of rivers of Europe
References
- ^ Dixon, Prof Harry (18 March 2015). "National River Flow Archive". Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.
- ^ "Conwy catchment data". UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ Llandudno: its history and natural history, 1861, Richard Parry
- ^ A guide through North Wales, 1860, William Cathrall & Andrew Crombie Ramsay
- ^ Transactions, 1822, Cymmrodorion society
- ^ The pedestrian's guide through North Wales, 1838, George John Bennett
- ^ "Aber Afon Conwy – Cyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru". Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
- ^ "River Levels Maintenance". Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ "River Levels Maintenance". Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ "River Levels Maintenance". Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ REINA, PETER. "Technology: The fish ladder with a twist". Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ "404 – Page Not Found | CIHT". ciht.org.uk. Archived from the original on 31 December 2008.
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