Llyn Brenig
Encyclopedia
Llyn Brenig is a reservoir located in North Wales
, in the heart of the Denbigh Moors, on the border between the counties of Conwy
and Denbighshire
. It is used to manage the flow in the River Dee
as part of the River Dee regulation system
which is designed to protect the water supply for North West England
and North East Wales
, particularly Liverpool
and its surrounding area
.
and Lake Vyrnwy
. The lake has a perimeter of some 14 miles (23 km).
The catchment of the reservoir is very significantly over-reservoired. This means that the reservoir cannot fill from its own catchment within one annual hydrological cycle. When the reservoir level is drawn down, it can take several years for it to completely re-fill again. Llyn Brenig is therefore only used during drought conditions when the capacity of Llyn Celyn
and Llyn Tegid are no longer predicted to be capable of maintaining the flow in the River Dee.
artifacts were found, as was a camp used by Mesolithic
hunter/gatherers. This has been dated by radiocarbon analysis of the charcoal
from their fires to around 5700 BC
. There are a number of archaeological
trails around Llyn Brenig; the relics visible include a ring cairn
(a Bronze Age burial mound), and several barrow
s.
A visitor centre to the south of the lake displays a lot of archaeological information about the area.
, fishing
, and canoeing
. The only power craft allowed on the lake are those used by fishermen, and sailing club safety craft. In 1990 it was selected as the only Welsh reservoir used for the World Fly Fishing Championships.
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, in the heart of the Denbigh Moors, on the border between the counties of Conwy
Conwy (county borough)
Conwy County Borough is a unitary authority area in North Wales.-Geography:It contains the major settlements of Llandudno, Llandudno Junction, Llanrwst, Betws-y-Coed, Conwy, Colwyn Bay, Abergele, Penmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan, and has a total population of about 110,000.The River Conwy, after...
and Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
. It is used to manage the flow in the River Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
as part of the River Dee regulation system
River Dee regulation system
The River Dee regulation scheme is a system of flow balancing and quality management along the River Dee managed by a consortium of the three largest water companies licensed to take water from the river, United Utilities, Welsh Water and Dee Valley Water; together with the regulator, the...
which is designed to protect the water supply for North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
and North East Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, particularly Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and its surrounding area
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
.
Construction and operation
Construction began in 1973 and was completed in 1976. It has a capacity of 60 million m³ and was first filled in 1979. With a surface area of around 920 acres (3.7 km²), it is the fourth largest lake in Wales, behind Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake), Llyn TrawsfynyddLlyn Trawsfynydd
Llyn Trawsfynydd is a large man-made reservoir situated near the village of Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd, North Wales. With a total surface area of 4.8 km² the reservoir is slightly more extensive than Wales's largest natural lake, Llyn Tegid .Originally created in 1928 as the header reservoir for...
and Lake Vyrnwy
Lake Vyrnwy
Lake Vyrnwy Nature Reserve and Estate is an area of land in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, surrounding the Victorian reservoir of Lake Vyrnwy. Its stone-built dam, built in the 1880s, was the first of its kind in the world. The Nature Reserve and the area around it are jointly managed by the Royal...
. The lake has a perimeter of some 14 miles (23 km).
The catchment of the reservoir is very significantly over-reservoired. This means that the reservoir cannot fill from its own catchment within one annual hydrological cycle. When the reservoir level is drawn down, it can take several years for it to completely re-fill again. Llyn Brenig is therefore only used during drought conditions when the capacity of Llyn Celyn
Llyn Celyn
Llyn Celyn is a large reservoir constructed between 1960 and 1965 in the valley of the River Tryweryn in Gwynedd, North Wales. It measures roughly 2½ miles long by a mile wide, and has a maximum depth of...
and Llyn Tegid are no longer predicted to be capable of maintaining the flow in the River Dee.
Archaeology
During construction of the lake, a number of Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
artifacts were found, as was a camp used by Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
hunter/gatherers. This has been dated by radiocarbon analysis of the charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
from their fires to around 5700 BC
6th millennium BC
During the 6th millennium BC, agriculture spread from the Balkans to Italy and Eastern Europe, and also from Mesopotamia to Egypt. World population was essentially stable at approximately 5 million, though some speculate up to 7 million.-Events:...
. There are a number of archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
trails around Llyn Brenig; the relics visible include a ring cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
(a Bronze Age burial mound), and several barrow
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
s.
A visitor centre to the south of the lake displays a lot of archaeological information about the area.
Watersports
A number of watersports take place on the lake, including sailingSailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, and canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
. The only power craft allowed on the lake are those used by fishermen, and sailing club safety craft. In 1990 it was selected as the only Welsh reservoir used for the World Fly Fishing Championships.