Snowdonia waterfall could be diverted to hit net zero target
Farmer plans to re-route landmark immortalised by artists and poets to power hydroelectric plant
A WATERFALL in Snowdonia that has been immortalised by artists could be diverted under plans to help the Welsh government hit its net zero target.
Rhaeadr y Cwm, described as “one of the most majestic waterfalls” in the national park, would be fed into pipes for a hydro-electricity station if the scheme goes ahead.
The falls span 350ft in the Cwm Cynfal gorge and have inspired storytellers, artists and poets dating back to the Mabinogion, the medieval Welsh prose epic.
However, a farming family wants to lay plastic pipes under the falls, diverting up to 70 per cent of its water to generate renewable energy, in what campaigners have labelled an “unthinkable” blight on the landscape.
The proposals at the Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gwynedd would involve a 1.2-kilometre pipe being buried 140 metres (459ft) between a weir on Afon Cwm and a new turbine house below.
The family behind the scheme says it would help contribute to a Welsh government target of generating 70 per cent of energy needs from renewable sources by 2030.
However, campaigners fear the waterfall would lose its “iconic” look, which was captured by the artist David Cox in his 1836 painting Rhaiadr Cwm.
The Snowdonia Society, a conservation charity, said it feared that the possible green benefits would be outweighed by “substantial damage to an iconic valley” and that it was a “test case” for renewable energy schemes in environmentally precious areas.
It is also concerned about the potential impact on the biodiversity of the area near Llan Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, as well as the effect on rare mosses and liverworts.
“Cwm Cynfal is a place that has inspired storytellers, artists and poets over a millennium – it is one of Eryri’s most majestic waterfalls,” the charity said in a statement.
“But now it is being threatened once again by a hydro-electric scheme that would see the river dammed and as much as 70 per cent of the water diverted around the waterfall.”
The charity said it was “an unthinkable idea to divert the Afon Aber and run Rhaeadr Fawr (Aber Falls) through a black plastic pipe”.
“It should be equally unthinkable to inflict substantial harm on the waters of Afon Cynfal which have flowed unhindered since they were woven into the words of the Mabinogion,” the organisation’s letter added.
Proponents say the weir and turbines would be capable of generating two million kwh each year for export to the National Grid, powering up to 700 homes and saving 1,962 tons of CO2 emissions each year.
Randall Thorpe, a landscape architect firm, has examined the impact of reduced water flows and says there will be “no effect” on the shape of the falls.
The company said that at maximum extraction levels “only a small difference” would “occasionally” be noticed in the white water intensity.
It said this was because the “amount of white water visible is not proportional to the volume of water”.
Consultants said flow studies showed the visual impact from the nearby B4391 would be “minor to negligible” and passing motorists would not notice any difference. It added that wildlife surveys showed there would be “no adverse impacts” on birds, bats, otters and mosses.
The latest plans are the fourth over the past 30 years – two have been refused and the most recent one was withdrawn. Consultants Baileys & Partners said the plans had since been refined to address concerns raised previously.
A pre-consultation on the scheme was completed by the end of November and official plans are expected to be submitted soon to the local planning body, Snowdonia National Park Authority.
If successful, a construction phase is expected to take between eight and 10 months.