River Loughor
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Loughor Afon Llwchwr (Welsh) |
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 River Loughor above Loughor bridges . |
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| Data | ||
| location | Wales | |
| River system | River Loughor | |
| River basin district | Western Wales RBD | |
| source | Llygad Llwchwr in Carmarthenshire 51 ° 50 ′ 31 ″ N , 3 ° 54 ′ 30 ″ W |
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| Estuary |
Carmarthen Bay Coordinates: 51 ° 39 ′ 18 " N , 4 ° 16 ′ 22" W 51 ° 39 ′ 18 " N , 4 ° 16 ′ 22" W. |
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| Mouth height |
0 m
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| Catchment area | 262 km² | |
| Left tributaries | River Amman | |
| Small towns | Ammanford, Hendy, Pontarddulais, Pantyffynnon, Loughor | |
The River Loughor ( IPA : ˈlʌxər , Welsh : Afon Llwchwr) in Carmarthenshire , Wales has its source in an underground lake in the Black Mountains . It reaches the surface at Llygad Llwchwr (Welsh for: "Eye of Loughor"), it flows through Ammanford and Hendy in Carmarthenshire and Pontarddulais in Swansea .
The river divides Carmarthenshire from Swansea along its course and separates Hendy from Pontarddulais . From this point he enters the tidal sphere of influence . It reaches the sea in its estuary shortly after Loughor, where it separates the southern coast of Carmarthenshire from the northern coast of the Gower Peninsula . One of its tributaries is the Amman River , which flows into the Loughor from the left and west at Pantyffynnon . The catchment area is approximately 262 km² (101 sq miles).
In the 18th century the river was known for its salmon and sea trout stocks. The fish was then brought to Swansea on ponies. Large parts of the fish population died out due to water pollution in the 19th century.
The Carmarthenshire County Council currently examining the possibility of building a dam above Loughor bridges.
Estuary
The Loughor Estuary (also: Burry inlet or Burry estuary after the small Burry River that flows in from the east near the mouth) is the region southwest of the road and railway bridges at Loughor, where the river suddenly runs from south to west turns to Carmarthen Bay . The Afon Lliw flows just below the Loughor bridges. This area runs almost completely empty at low tide and the water releases extensive sandbanks on which intensive heart muschel cultivation ( Cerastoderma edule ) is carried out.
In the south of the bay the cockle industry is very important for the villages of Crofty , Llanmorlais and Penclawdd . It is permitted to harvest one bucket of cockles per person for private use; commercial fishing is limited to a small number of licensees. The size of the population varies from year to year. The estuary is also an area of international importance for waders and other waterfowl. This has already led to advances in the mussel industry to hunt oystercatchers ( Haematopus ostralegus ) that feed on the mussels.
The estuary cuts through the southern part of a significant coal seam. Llanelli on the north coast was known for its tin industry, while Penclawdd in the south operated copper smelting with ore brought by ship from Anglesey . Both required easy access to the Bristol Channel via Carmarthen Bay. The main canal of the estuary has shifted repeatedly from one side of the estuary to the other in the past. In the late 19th century, the river fell under the jurisdiction of the Llanelli Port Authority , which allowed a dam to be built to hold the river on the north side. However, this led to a dispersion of the current, so that the siltation increased both at North Dock (Llanelli) and at Penclawdd anchorage . The dam has since broken in various places.
Another major intervention in the ecosystem was the planting of salt silt grass ( Spartina anglica ) in the 1930s to open up grassland at the western end of Gower. The invasive species has since spread rapidly, forming a wide salt marsh along the south coast, where sheep, horses and cattle graze today.
The estuary is partially separated from the sea by Whiteford Point . Whiteford Point extends from Llanmadoc in Gower to Burry Port and Cefn Sidan in Carmarthenshire. This is now a national nature reserve managed by the National Trust and the Countryside Council for Wales (Nature Conservancy). In the area there are sand dunes with several rare animal species. Not far from the headland is one of the few surviving cast-iron lighthouses , which is no longer in use and is in disrepair.
During the Second World War , several cannon batteries were installed east and west of Penclawdd. There cannons were calibrated and grenades were tested, including highly explosive ammunition and mustard gas . Later, masses of excess ammunition were also buried on the sea-facing side. The area is regularly searched by the Royal Navy bomb disposal service. Few of the unexploded shells are now found, but rumors linger that anthrax ammunition has been tested against sheep for biological warfare. This was underpinned by the response to a parliamentary question from Tony Banks in 1987. In the 1960s, the Ministry of Defense planned to move its main Foulness test site at the Thames estuary to an area between Burry Port and Kidwelly that had previously been used occasionally as an air-to-surface missile test site . This should make room for a third London airport. However, due to massive resistance from the local population and planning changes, this plan was dropped again.
Individual evidence
- ^ GM Miller, BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names (Oxford UP, 1971), p. 92.
- ^ "First Water Resources Survey: Report," South West Wales River Authority, Published 1970, page 41; Table 1
swell
- Problems of a Small Estuary , ed.A. Nelson-Smith & EMBridges, Institute of Marine Studies (University College, Swansea) & West Glamorgan County Council, Swansea, 1977.
