Broad Water
Encyclopedia
Broad Water, or Broadwater, is a salt water lagoon
near Tywyn
, Wales
, formed from the silted up estuary of the River Dysynni
. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the estuary was used by the shipbuilding
industry, as small sailing ships were launched to carry peat
from the local peat bogs. This industry was abandoned in the nineteenth century when the estuary became too silted up, forming the lagoon. The outflow of the lagoon flows beneath a railway bridge before entering Cardigan Bay
.
The area is a haven for many wetland birds, and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
.
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
near Tywyn
Tywyn
Tywyn is a town and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd , in north Wales. The name derives from the Welsh tywyn and the town is sometimes referred to as Tywyn Meirionnydd...
, 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...
, formed from the silted up estuary of the River Dysynni
River Dysynni
The River Dysynni is a river in mid Wales.- Source :The River Dysynni flows from the western end of Tal-y-llyn Lake and enters Cardigan Bay through the Broad Water lagoon to the north of Tywyn near Tonfanau.-External links:**...
. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the estuary was used by the shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
industry, as small sailing ships were launched to carry peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
from the local peat bogs. This industry was abandoned in the nineteenth century when the estuary became too silted up, forming the lagoon. The outflow of the lagoon flows beneath a railway bridge before entering Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales....
.
The area is a haven for many wetland birds, and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
.