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Afon Llwyd
The Afon Lwyd or Afon Llwyd () is a long river in south-east Wales which flows from its source northwest of Blaenavon, through Abersychan, Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, Llanfrechfa and Cwmbran before flowing, at Caerleon, into the River Usk, which subsequently flows into the Bristol Channel to the south of Newport. The river was severely affected by pollution from industry and mine discharge, and fly tipping, but during the 1980s efforts were made to improve water quality and improve fish stocks. To aid this, the Environment Agency Wales built a fish ladder at Pontymoile in 2010 enabling fish to ascend past the weir there. In late 2011 it was claimed that the river was in its cleanest state since medieval times. Historically, the river has also been known as the Torfaen – meaning 'breaker of stones' – which gives some indication of the force of the river during surges. Although this name is no longer in use for the river, it is still in common use as the name for the local aut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Weir
A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. There are many weir designs, but commonly water flows freely over the top of the weir crest before cascading down to a lower level. There is no single definition as to what constitutes a weir. ''Weir'' can also refer to the skimmer found in most in-ground swimming pools, which controls the flow of water pulled into the filtering system. Etymology The word likely originated from Middle English ''were'', Old English ''wer'', a derivative of the root of the verb ''werian,'' meaning "to defend, dam". The German cognate is ''Wehr'', which means the same as English weir. Function Commonly, weirs are used to prevent flooding, measure water discharge, and help render rivers more Navigability, navigable by boat. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fly Tipping
Illegal dumping, also called fly dumping or fly tipping (British English, UK), is the dumping of waste illegally instead of using an authorised method such as Kerbside collection, curbside collection or using an authorised civic amenity site, rubbish dump. It is the illegal deposit of any waste onto land, including waste dumped or tipped on a site with no licence to accept waste. Terminology Illegal dumping is typically distinguished from littering by the type and amount of material and/or the manner in which it is discarded. An example of littering could be throwing a cigarette on the ground. However, emptying a Waste container, trash bin with no permission in a public or private area can be classified as illegal dumping. The term ''fly tipping'' is derived from the verb ''tip'', meaning "to throw out of a vehicle", and ''on the fly'', meaning "spontaneously or extemporaneously; done as one goes, or during another activity" – to throw away carelessly or casually. Types of m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network (NCN) was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout the United Kingdom, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the charity Sustrans who were aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lottery grant. However Sustrans themselves only own around 2% of the paths on the network, the rest being made of existing public highways and rights of way, and permissive paths negotiated by Sustrans with private landowners. In 2017, the Network was used for over 786 million cycling and walking trips, made by 4.4 million people. In 2020, around a quarter of the NCN was scrapped on safety grounds, leaving of signed routes. These are made up of of traffic-free paths with the remaining on-road. It uses shared use paths, Rail trail, disused railways, minor roads, canal towpaths and traffic-calmed routes in towns and cities. History The Bristol and Bath Railway Path (now part of National ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blaenavon Ironworks
Blaenavon Ironworks is a former industrial site which is now a museum in Blaenavon, Wales. The ironworks was of crucial importance in the development of the ability to use cheap, low quality, high sulphur iron ores worldwide. It was the site of the experiments by Sidney Gilchrist Thomas and his cousin Percy Gilchrist that led to "the basic steel process" or "Gilchrist–Thomas process". The ironworks is on the outskirts of Blaenavon, in the borough of Torfaen, within the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, a World Heritage Site. The site is under the care of Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic environment service. History of the works Early history Evidence of ironworking in the South Wales Valleys dates from the Roman period. In the 17th century, the Hanburys of Pontypool undertook tinplate manufacture in the area around Blaenavon. The land was the property of Lord Abergavenny, known as Lord Abergavenny's Hills, and in 1788 Henry Nevill, 2nd Earl of Abergavenny granted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White-clawed Crayfish
''Austropotamobius pallipes'' is an endangered European freshwater crayfish, and the only crayfish native to the British Isles. Its common names include white-clawed crayfish and Atlantic stream crayfish. Distribution It is found from the easterly Balkan Peninsula to Spain and reaches its northerly limit in Great Britain, as well as Ireland (where it is considered introduced), where it is limited to some regions only: its highest densities are in chalk streams. ''A. pallipes'' is the only crayfish found in Ireland, occurring over limestone areas in rivers, streams, canals, and lakes. In France, ''A. pallipes'' is found in streams such as the Mornante and Sellon, two small tributaries of the Dorlay in the Loire department. It is protected as a heritage species. It has also been introduced to Corsica, Liechtenstein, and Portugal (from where it is now extirpated). It was once found across most of Great Britain; however its distribution is rapidly shrinking, and it is recorded in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Signal Crayfish
The signal crayfish (''Pacifastacus leniusculus'') is a species of crayfish indigenous to North America. Introduced to Europe in the 1960s to supplement the North European ''Astacus astacus'' fisheries, which were being damaged by crayfish plague, it was subsequently discovered that the signal was itself a carrier of that disease. Consequently, the signal crayfish is now considered an invasive species across Europe, Japan, and California, having displaced the native species in these regions. Description and ecology Members of this species are typically long, although sizes up to are possible. A distinctive white to pale blue-green patch is present near the claw hinge, reminiscent of the white flags that signalmen used for directing trains—hence the species' common name. The Biological life cycle, lifecycle of the signal crayfish is typical for the family Astacidae. The mating season occurs in the autumn, during which time the female produces around 200 to 400 egg (biolog ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cwmavon, Neath Port Talbot
Cwmafan (), also known as Cwmavon, is a large village and community in the Afan valley in Wales, lying within Neath Port Talbot County Borough. It had a population of 6,538 in 2011, increasing slightly to 5,615 at the 2011 Census. Cwmafan is known for having a high percentage of Welsh speakers. In many ways it is a suburb of the nearby town of Port Talbot which is less than to the south. The literal translation of ''Cwmafan'' from Welsh to English is complex, Cwm means valley with Afan as the name of the river flowing through, hence the village residing within the Afan Valley. It could be a version of Afon which means river, so literally the "River Valley", this is common in Wales and the UK with many rivers being called Afon or Avon. There is also a Saint Afan, which it is possible the river was named after. There have been other suggestions but none accepted locally. Geography The village is surrounded by hills: the biggest is Foel Fynyddau, which stands 370 m (1200&n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wye And Usk Foundation
The Wye and Usk Foundation is an environmental charity based in Talgarth, Powys in Wales which seeks to secure and improve the natural environment of the River Wye and River Usk for the benefit of local communities, anglers and others. Founded in 1995 in response to a decline in Atlantic salmon, it is a member of The Rivers Trust and operates both in the Welsh and English parts of the catchments. The foundation maintains webcams on the two rivers and on the Wye's major tributaries, the River Lugg and the River Monnow. The Trust carries out habitat conservation work such as managing riparian vegetation and fencing out grazing animals to decrease trampling, not just on the main rivers but also on numerous tributaries. Other work includes construction of fish passes around weirs, litter clearance, re-gravelling of sections of river depleted of their natural supply and dealing with invasive non-native species such as giant hogweed ''Heracleum mantegazzianum'', commonly known as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brown Trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally as a game fish, even becoming one of the world's worst invasive species outside of its native range. Brown trout are highly adaptable and have evolved numerous ecotypes/subspecies. These include three main ecotypes: a riverine ecotype called river trout or ''Salmo trutta'' morpha ''fario''; a lacustrine ecotype or ''S. trutta'' morpha ''lacustris'', also called the lake trout (not to be confused with the lake trout in North America); and anadromous populations known as the sea trout or ''S. trutta'' morpha ''trutta'', which upon adulthood migrate downstream to the oceans for much of its life and only returns to fresh water to spawn in the gravel beds of headstreams. Sea trout in Ireland and Great Britain have many regional names: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sea Trout
Sea trout is the common name usually applied to anadromous (sea-run) forms of brown trout (''Salmo trutta''), and is often referred to as ''Salmo trutta'' morpha ''trutta''. Other names for anadromous brown trout are bull trout, sewin (Wales), peel or peal (southwest England), mort (northwest England), finnock (Scotland), white trout (Ireland) and salmon trout (culinary). The term "sea trout" is also used to describe other anadromous salmonids, such as coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch''), coastal cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii''), brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis''), Arctic char (''Salvelinus alpinus alpinus'') and Dolly Varden (''Salvenlinus malma''). Even some non-salmonid fish species are also commonly known as sea trout, such as Northern pikeminnow (''Ptychocheilus oregonensis'') and members of the weakfish family (''Cynoscion''). Range Anadromous brown trout are widely distributed in Europe along the Atlantic and Baltic coasts, the United Kin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salmon
Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native to tributary, tributaries of the North Atlantic (''Salmo'') and North Pacific (''Oncorhynchus'') basins. ''Salmon'' is a colloquial or common name used for fish in this group, but is not a scientific name. Other closely related fish in the same family include trout, Salvelinus, char, Thymallus, grayling, Freshwater whitefish, whitefish, lenok and Hucho, taimen, all coldwater fish of the subarctic and cooler temperate regions with some sporadic endorheic populations in Central Asia. Salmon are typically fish migration, anadromous: they hatch in the shallow gravel stream bed, beds of freshwater headstreams and spend their juvenile fish, juvenile years in rivers, lakes and freshwater wetlands, migrate to the ocean as adults and live like sea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torfaen County Borough Council
Torfaen County Borough Council () is the governing body for Torfaen, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. History The borough council was created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as a lower-tier district council with borough status. Gwent County Council provided county-level services for the area. The county council was abolished in 1996 and Torfaen became a principal area with county borough status, with the council taking over the functions previously performed by the county council. Borough status allows Torfaen to give the chair of the council the title of mayor. However, the council discontinued the role of mayor in 2018. A presiding member role has been created instead to chair meetings. In June 2024 the council agreed to share a chief executive with neighbouring Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council. In January 2025 councillors from Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent approved the permanent appointment of Stephen Vickers as the Joint Chief Executive for both Blaenau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
