On the 31st of May we had a community meeting in Machynlleth where locals around the Dyfi joined us to discuss their concerns and learn more about the work we do. The Dyfi is the most southerly river in our catchment.

The meeting started with a presentation about the current challenges facing our rivers from pollution to fish barriers. With a recent report from NRW predicting that almost all Welsh Salmon and Sea Trout will become extinct in the next 10 years it is more vital than ever to improve our waterways.  The community got an opportunity to meet some of the team and learn about the different aspects of the charity from restoration work to community projects and how to get involved.

We invited Emily from Dwr Cymru to be a guest speaker and discuss the different types of CSO’s in the catchment and how they are released. In 2022, a storm overflow in Llanbrynmair spilled 261 times for a total of 3663.50 hours and is one of the worst offending sites in our catchment.

It was a great opportunity to learn about the types of sewage systems, investments and what can lead to spills. This includes some of the work that can be done to reduce future spillages such as preventing blockages and groundwater infiltration into the system.

At the end of the meeting there was an opportunity to discuss concerns and solutions for fish population decline and the ever increasing frequency of flood events. In 2012, Talybont saw a month's rainfall in 24 hours causing Afon Leri and Afon Ceulan to flood which caused 1000 residents to evacuate.

To join our next community meeting contact: oisin@northwalesriverstrust.org