Afon Tryweryn

Afon Tryweryn
River
Memorial chapel to the drowned village of Capel Celyn
Country	Wales
Landmarks	Canolfan Tryweryn, Llyn Celyn dam
Source	Llyn Tryweryn
Mouth
- location	confluence with Dee
Length	19 km (12 mi)

The Tryweryn is a river in North Wales which starts at Llyn Tryweryn in the Snowdonia National Park and after 19 kilometres (12 mi) joins the river Dee at Bala. It is one of the main tributaries of the Dee and has been dammed to form Llyn Celyn. Water is stored in winter when flows are high, and released over the summer to maintain the flow in the Dee (water from the Dee is used as the water supply for large areas of north-east Wales and for the Wirral and much of Liverpool).

The Tryweryn River joins the River Dee roughly half a mile downstream from Bala Lake. The reservoir now at the head of the Tryweryn was created in 1965, to provide water to Liverpool. At that time, the 67 inhabitants of the village of Capel Celyn were forcibly removed.

The Tryweryn is the site of the Welsh Canolfan Tryweryn national whitewater centre, managed by the Welsh Canoe Association. It is an important river for whitewater kayaking and rafting. The centre features a café and superb facilities to support whitewater sports. The natural whitewater rapids of the upper section of the Treweryn have been modified (by placing boulders along the river bed) to make them safer and to build playspots. The upper part of the river is usually considered to be Grade III. Usually between 9 and 12 m³/s are released from the Llyn Celyn Dam. The rapids of the lower section remain in a more natural state. These are of somewhat easier grade, with the exception of Bala Mill Falls.