Cadoxton River
| Cadoxton River (Afon Tregatwg) | |
| Cadoxton Brook | |
| River | |
 The river in the area known as the Millfields, near Dinas Powys
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| Countries | United Kingdom, Wales |
|---|---|
| Region | South Wales |
| County | Vale of Glamorgan |
| Cities | Michaelston-le-Pit, Dinas Powis, Barry, The Bendricks, Vale of Glamorgan |
| Source | |
| - location | Michaelston-le-Pit, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales |
| - coordinates | 51°26′46″N 3°13′09″W / 51.4460°N 3.2192°W |
| Mouth | Bristol Channel |
| - coordinates | 51°23′43″N 3°14′58″W / 51.3954°N 3.2495°WCoordinates: 51°23′43″N 3°14′58″W / 51.3954°N 3.2495°W |
| Length | 8.0 km (5 mi) |
The Cadoxton River (Welsh: Afon Tregatwg) is a short river in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales and with a length of about 5 miles/8 kilometres it is one of Wales's shortest rivers.
The water course becomes known as the Cadoxton just north of Dinas Powys village near the hamlet of Michaelston-le-Pit, at the confluence of the Wrinstone Brook and the Bullcroft Brook. From there, it flows in a generally south-westerly direction through Dinas Powys, along the route of the A4055, or Cardiff Road, towards the town of Barry. Once at Barry, it flows through an artificial channel towards its manmade estuary at The Bendricks, Vale of Glamorgan.
Although the river is but a stream today, it appeared to have had amore potent flow in times gone by, large enough to appear on some maps of Britain. Some small vessels could almost reach Dinas Powys, but, like the River Thaw a few miles west, it is likely to have silted up, and the mouth became a mud channel before being redeveloped. The lower reaches of the river have been extensively modified in the past. In 1884, the Barry Railway Company began construction work on the Barry docks, which were cut into the natural estuary of the river, which was diverted away. The lower river should be tidal, but a sluice gate built at the same time as the docks keeps the water fresh.
From the 1940s through to the 1970s, the bottom stretches of the Cadoxton were polluted by effluents from the many chemical plants nearby. However, due to environmental regulation the water quality is now improving and the river supports fish, including trout.
On 19 April 2005, most of the river's trout were killed when dangerous pollutants leaked from a vehicle travelling to the Barry chemical plants, seeping into Bullcroft Brook and thus damaging the ecosystem. 183 dead fish were found in a 5km stretch of the river and the company, a division of Calor Gas Ltd, was fined £20,000.
Despite its name, the river does not flow through Cadoxton itself any more. In the past, however, it did flow through the centre of Barry. In fact, at high tide, small boats could sail up into Barry. Originally it met the sea at the eastern edge of Barry Island, where the present dock entrance is situated today. Barry Island ceased to become an island when the river was diverted away and the aforementioned docks were constructed.
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Wikipedia