Cadoxton River

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Cadoxton River
Afon Tregatwg, Cadoxton Brook
The river in the Millfields, at Dinas Powys

The river in the Millfields , at Dinas Powys

Data
location Vale of Glamorgan , Wales
River system Cadoxton River
River basin district Western Wales RBD
origin Confluence of Wrinstone Brook and Bullcroft Brook at Michaelston-le-Pit
51 ° 26 ′ 46 ″  N , 3 ° 13 ′ 9 ″  W
muzzle at The Bendricks in the Bristol Channel Coordinates: 51 ° 23 '43 "  N , 3 ° 14' 58"  W 51 ° 23 '43 "  N , 3 ° 14' 58"  W.

length 8 kilometers
Communities Michaelston-le-Pit , Dinas Powis , Barry , The Bendricks , Vale of Glamorgan

The Cadoxton River ( Afon Tregatwg in Welsh ) is a river in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales . At only about 8 kilometers (5 mi) in length, it is one of the shortest rivers in Wales.

course

The watercourse is named Cadoxton just north of Dinas Powys near the village of Michaelston-le-Pit at the confluence of Wrinstone Brook and Bullcroft Brook . Wrinstone Brook comes from the west and cuts through a small range of hills. From the confluence the Cadoxton turns to the southwest, partly parallel to the River Ely and partly parallel to the Bristol Channel . The A4055 (Cardiff Road) accompanies the river to Barry . In Barry, the river is canalized and is thus directed to the artificial estuary at The Bendricks .

Tributaries

On its short course, the river receives an inflow from some shorter rivers.

Bullcroft Brook :

The Bull Croft Brook rises at Caerau south of the A4232 . It is just under 2 mi (3.2 km) long and flows south where it joins Wrinstone Brook at Michaelston-le-Pit. On April 19, 2005, the river suffered an environmental disaster when a van carrying styrene lost 620 liters of the chemical. Heavy rain washed the mixture into Bullcroft Brook, causing fish to die. Almost 200 dead fish were found and the company, a subsidiary of Calor Gas Ltd , was fined £ 20,000.

Wrinstone Brook :

Wrinstone Brook is the larger of the two main tributaries of the Cadoxton. It runs from west to east and is approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) long. It arises from a swarm of spring streams around Wenvoe and flows past the tiny residential area Wrinstone, only to break through the coastal range of hills in a wooded gorge. Just above the confluence with Bullcroft Brook, several weirs dam the river to ponds known as the Seven Lakes , or the Salmon Leaps . They serve as a trout farm .

East Brook :

East Brook is a smaller tributary of the Cadoxton. It is 2 mi (3.2 km) long, begins at Llandough and joins the Cadoxton south of the A4055 at Dinas Powys. It runs through the area of ​​Dinas, which is known as "The Murch" , and through the "Eastbrook" of the same name .

Coldbrook :

Coldbrook rises in the Merthyr Dyfan area of Barry. It is 4 mi (6.4 km) long. The Coldbrook itself has a number of small tributaries, the largest of which, the Nant yr Argae , has its source in St Andrews Major and is 2 mi (3.2 km) in length. The Coldbrook flows into the Cadoxton east of Palmerstown , Barry, in the "Biglis" area . Another, even smaller stream with a length of only 1 km also rises in the area and flows into it just before the mouth of the Colbrook.

Sully Brook :

Sully Brook is one of the largest tributaries of the Cadoxton. Its source is west of Penarth and it runs south through Cosmeston Lakes Country Park . Here it takes up a smaller stream and turns from there to the west. Ultimately it flows into the Cadoxton at Barry Docks . Like the Cadoxton, its course was also relocated to provide cooling water for the new chemical plants.

history

Today the river is just a stream, but apparently in earlier times it had a larger embankment. It was apparently so big that it is marked on various maps of Britain. Small boats could go as far as Dinas Powys, but like the River Thaw a few miles to the west, it is probably muddy and the mouth became a muddy tidal channel before the river was relocated. In particular, the lower reaches of the river were largely changed by humans. In 1884 the Barry Railway Company began work on the Barry Docks, which were cut into the natural mouth of the river and the mouth was relocated. The lower reaches used to be exposed to the tides, but a sluice gate , which was built at the same time, keeps the sea water out.

From the 1940s to the 1970s, the river's debris was polluted by a lot of chemical sewage. However, due to renewed efforts to protect the environment, the quality of the water is now better and the river is once again home to aquatic life, including trout. However, the environmental tragedy already described occurred in 2005.

etymology

Even if it bears the name, the Cadoxton no longer runs through the municipality of Cadoxton . It used to run through the center of Barry and also served as a shipping route to Barry (at high tide). The estuary was at the west end of Barry Island , where the entrance to the docks is now. Barry Island lost its island status when the river was relocated.

Flood

The river flooded in October 1998, but only six properties in Dinas Powys were affected , according to the Environment Agency . The flood was partly caused by the river being so heavily built up and the usual drainage routes blocked.

Individual evidence