River Ely facts for kids
Quick facts for kids River Ely |
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The river flowing through Peterston-super-Ely
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| Native name | Afon Elái |
| Country | United Kingdom, Wales |
| Region | South Wales |
| County | Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Cities | Tonyrefail, Llantrisant, Pontyclun, Peterston-super-Ely, Ely, Cardiff, Penarth |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Northwest of Tonyrefail, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales 580 m (1,900 ft) 51°36′12″N 3°27′36″W / 51.6034°N 3.460°W |
| River mouth | Cardiff Bay 0 m (0 ft) 51°27′22″N 3°10′26″W / 51.456°N 3.174°W |
| Length | 39.6 km (24.6 mi) |
| Discharge (location 2) |
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| Basin features | |
| Tributaries |
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The River Ely (called Afon Elái in Welsh) is a river in South Wales. It flows mostly southeast, starting near Tonyrefail and ending in Cardiff. The river is about 24 miles (39.6 km) long. Its many sources are in the mountains south of Tonypandy, close to Tonyrefail.
After leaving Tonyrefail, the river flows past the Royal Glamorgan Hospital. It then follows the A4119 road through a valley. This valley is between Mynydd Garthmaelwg (Llantrisant Forest) to the west and Llantrisant to the east. As it goes through Talbot Green, another river called the Afon Clun joins the Ely at Pontyclun. The Clun is the biggest river that flows into the Ely.
The Ely then turns southeast when it reaches the Vale of Glamorgan. It flows next to the South Wales Main Line railway, just south of Miskin. After going under the M4 motorway, it travels through farmland. It passes the St Fagans National History Museum and continues towards Cardiff and the Ely area. Finally, it flows under the Vale of Glamorgan Line and into Cardiff Bay at Penarth Marina.
The Ely Subway is a pedestrian tunnel that used to go under the mouth of the Ely River. It opened in 1900 and replaced a chain ferry. Workers used it to get to Cardiff Docks and Penarth Dock. The tunnel was closed in 1965.
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River Health and Environment
The River Ely has faced challenges with pollution for a long time. However, it is now getting much cleaner. Before the 1980s, a lot of untreated dirty water from towns flowed into the river. Even after new water treatment plants were built, the river still had pollution problems until the late 1980s.
Pollution also came from a coke oven factory at Coed-Ely. Near the river's end, a large paper mill released waste that made parts of the river's mouth lack oxygen. This made it hard for fish to swim through. The river has improved a lot thanks to environmental groups like the Environment Agency Wales. Also, Dŵr Cymru / Welsh Water invested a lot of money to clean it up.
Amazing River Animals
As the river became cleaner, fish slowly returned from smaller streams. Now, you can find many types of fish in the Ely. These include roach, Brown trout, perch, chub, eel, grayling, sea trout, and salmon. More recently, some barbel have also been seen.
When the River Floods
The River Ely has overflowed its banks several times. This happened in 2008, when 27 homes were flooded. It also flooded in 2011, 2012, and 2020.
The Ely Valley Trail
The Countryside Council for Wales and Cardiff Council are building a special path next to the river. It's called the Ely Trail. This path is designed for cycling and walking. It helps people from western Cardiff easily reach the countryside. It also gives people in rural areas another way to travel into the city center. Parts of this trail are already open for everyone to enjoy.
Places Along the Ely Valley
The River Ely flows through many towns and areas. Here are some of them:
In Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Tonyrefail
- Thomastown (Tonyrefail)
- Coed-Ely (Tonyrefail)
- Ynysmaerdy (Talbot Green)
- Talbot Green
- Pontyclun
- Brynsadler (Pontyclun)
- Miskin (Pontyclun)
In Vale of Glamorgan
- Hensol (Peterston-super-Ely)
- Pendoylan (Peterston-super-Ely)
- Peterston-super-Ely
- St. Brides-super-Ely (Peterston-super-Ely)
- St. George's-super-Ely (Peterston-super-Ely)
- Drope (Peterston-super-Ely)
- Llandough
- Penarth Marina (Penarth)
In Cardiff
- Michaelston-super-Ely (Ely)
- St. Fagans
- Fairwater
- Ely
- Caerau
- Leckwith (Canton)
- Grangetown
- International Sports VIllage
