A New Partnership to Restore the Dyfi
This week, the North Wales Rivers Trust visited a key site in the Dyfi catchment alongside the Coal Authority's Mining Remediation Team, marking the beginning of an exciting new partnership to reduce historic mining pollution at source.
The Dyfi, once a thriving river for sea trout and salmon, continues to bear the scars of past industry. Abandoned metal mines and spoil heaps in the upper catchment leach heavy metals and acidic water into tributaries—impacting not only water quality but also aquatic life and downstream biodiversity.
Our shared mission: to develop a series of natural flood management (NFM) interventions that intercept polluted surface runoff before it enters abandoned mine adits and exposed spoil tips.
Rather than relying solely on engineering fixes, the project will plan use nature to do the heavy lifting. Together, we will design and install swales, sediment traps, bunded wetlands, and leaky dams to:
Slow and filter surface runoff;
Reduce the volume of water infiltrating spoil heaps;
Create space for natural attenuation of metal pollutants before they reach watercourses.
These interventions are low-impact, cost-effective, and deliver multiple benefits—from water quality improvement to habitat creation and flood resilience for local communities.
This partnership builds on our shared understanding that legacy mine pollution requires long-term, cross-sector solutions.
The Dyfi is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a place of extraordinary ecological and cultural value. Tackling the diffuse, long-standing impacts of mining pollution is no small task—but with the right tools and partnerships, we believe recovery is possible.
