Taff's Well Thermal Spring
Encyclopedia
Taff's Well thermal spring is located in Taff's Well
or Taffs Well (Welsh: Ffynnon Taf) north of Cardiff
, South Wales
, UK (National Grid Reference ST 11925 83639) and an elevation of about 30m AOD. It is the only thermal spring in Wales. The spring emerges on the eastern bank of the River Taff
and has been contained within a brick well structure and building. Access is via Taff's Well
park, a public park, owned and maintained by "Rhondda Cynnon Taff Council".
The spring is enclosed inside a well and stone building constructed in the 19th century. The well built to contain the spring waters is brick lined and approximately 4m deep. The building has an internal dimension of 5.3m x 3.9m and water fills this area. A brick built spiral staircase is incorporated in the inside of the well. There is one visible overflow pipe which emerges several meters to the west of the spring, on the bank of the River Taff
.
Thermal springs are also located in Bath, Somerset Bristol
Hotwells
, Buxton
in England and Mallow, County Cork
in Ireland. There are no reported thermal springs in Scotland
.
The thermal springs are all located in Carboniferous Limestone
synclines and basins. These structural settings allow water to descend to sufficient depth for it to be heated by the geothermal gradient, and to return to the surface without a significant fall in temperature Taffs Well spring is also located in a similar setting, the southern limb of the south Wales Coalfield syncline.
The site is not protected by any statutory legislation; it is however a registered 'Regionally Important Geological Site' or RIGS site and a Grade II listed building site
spring is not well documented. Roman
settlements and roads occur throughout the Taff Valley and one could speculate it was used by the Romans on a local scale. An early writing states it was sometimes called ‘Ffynnon Dwym’ or ‘tepid well’. In 1799 flood waters are reported to have removed Roman masonry that once adjoined the well.
19th century dictionaries mention the reported medicinal properties of the water, especially for the cure of rheumatism and the waters are said to possess medicinal properties of very high order.
The following excerpt is from Hall 1861. It is a description of people's beliefs in the healing powers of holy wells in the nineteenth century.
From our inquiries we have reason to conclude that the waters do relieve and in some cases banish chronic disorders. Our attention was directed to a lad who came there a cripple and who was after a fortnights bathing enabled to run about the green meadow and enjoy life.
There was another patient who seamed unable to move without the aid of crutches. In his own country – for a very few words told us to what country he belonged – he would have been called a “bocher” (lame man); in the neighbourhood of Taff’s Well he was termed “ the Irish rebel”.
”But how” we inquired, “how is it that with such a number of holy wells in your own country you leave them and come to St. Taff to be cured?”
“Because I’m for justice to ould Ireland. Does your honour think that when I had the misfortune to take up with the rhumatis in this country, I’d go bothering my own saints to give me the cure? I’d scorn it ! hav’n’t they enough to do with their own blind and bochers, without bein’ put upon to do the work that belongs to St. Taff ? It was down in his mines I got it, and it’s his duty to see me righted ; and so he will, with God’s help someday. If the gorsoons would let me alone, I’d be a dale healthier meeself ; but aftermee dip in the well, when I come down here to go over mee bades, and say ‘God be wid ould times,’ and think of where mee heart lies bleedin,’ – of the pleasant places, the singing strames and singing birds, and one that is singing sweeter than either up there now !
The growing popularity of Taff's Well
spring as a tourist destination was again reported in 1877 by the chemist J. W. Thomas who said ‘the well waters have long since obtained some celebrity, especially the well water as a curative agent for rheumatism.’ Thomas sensibly concludes ‘we do not feel encouraged by this story (which, by the way, we rather fancy we have heard before) to insist very much upon the curative properties of the Water of Taff's Well.’
During the 19th century a weir was constructed across the River Taff
. This caused the widening of the River Taff
which moved eastwards towards the spring with floodwaters often covering the spring "Rhondda Cynnon Taff Council".
The well building fell into disrepair at the beginning of World War I
, and in 1929 the Taffs Well villagers decided to repair the well and it re-opened in 1930 complete with a small swimming pool. It was around this time that the famous travel writer H.V Morton visited the well dedicating several pages of his 1932 book to the well. A large flood in the 1950s caused the pool, and well, to fall into disuse once again. In 1978 the wells waters were used to rescue the village bowling greens from drought. It was not until the 1990s that a redevelopment of the area was undertaken by "Rhondda Cynnon Taff Council".
Unlike some thermal water sources in the UK such as the Bath Springs and Buxton
in the Peak district
, Taff's Well
spring is not currently used for water supply or recreational use. Rhondda Cynon Taff Council had plans to reinstate the spring and to utilise it as a tourist attraction but these have not been fully realised.
, although there are many of these in Wales
. The most well known myth or legend associated with the spring (apart from its healing properties) is that of the 'Grey Lady'. The myth is as follows;
A lady robed in grey frequently visited this well, and many people testified to having seen her in the twilight wandering along the banks of the river near the spring. Stories about this mysterious lady were handed down from father to son.
The grey lady was said to have beckoned a man who had just been collecting water from the well. The man put down his pitcher and asked what he could do for her. She asked him to hold her tight by both hands until she requested him to release her. The man did as he was bidden. He began to think it a long time before she bade him cease his grip, when a stabbing pain caught him in his side and with a sharp cry he loosed his hold. Alas I shall remain in bondage for another hundred years, and then I must get a woman with steady hands and a better grip than yours to hold me. She vanished and was never seen again.
spring emerges from the southern limb of the south Wales
Coalfield
, Carboniferous Millstone Grit occurs in the immediate area of the Taff's Well
thermal spring. The underlying Carboniferous Limestone
can be seen outcropping just south of Taff's Well
. The underlying Devonian
Old Red Sandstone outcrops over 2 km southeast, just north of the M4 motorway
.
The superficial geology in the area of the Taff's Well
spring comprises an unknown thickness of river alluvium and river terrace deposits.
The Taffs Well sub-unit is bound to the south west by the Tongwynlais or Taff's Well Fault, which runs north-south, crossing the River Taff
, and passing very close to the Taff's Well Thermal Spring. The Taffs Well Fault is a continuation of the Daren-ddu fault which is a major NW-SE trending fault in the Coal Measure rocks of the South Wales
Coalfield.
The Tongwynlais Fault is a normal fault and affects both the Carboniferous Limestone
and underlying Devonian
Upper Old Red Sandstone. The fault has a downthrow of 85m to the west
have monitored the temperature of the well since 2008, using a Solinst LTC logger.
During this period the maximum recorded temperature was 22.12 oC and the average temperature 21.64 oC. The temperature varies +/- 0.5 oC about the average temperature of 21.64 oC. The temperature can, on the whole be described as constant.
The average temperature at Taff's Well
spring, 21.64 oC is over 10 oC warmer than the average groundwater temperature of 11.3oC in Wales
"Environment Agency Groundwater Quality Review / Baseline Reports".
holds chemical water analysis for the spring and a summary of one sample is below;
Major ion chemistry mg/l
Minor ions and trace elements ug/l
Physical parameters
gas bubbles can be seen rising from the base of the well.
Nitrogen
is a common gas in other thermal springs and is also seen in analysis at Bath, Somerset, Buxton
and Mallow, County Cork
.
spring, this is due to the overflow pipe which helps to maintain the level of the well. Iron
and manganese
staining on the inside of the well house show that there is fluctuation of water levels. Flooding in front of the well is also observed, forming a warm water temporary ‘thermal pond’.
Modern readings show the volume of water from the overflow pipe can vary between 0.001m3/s - 0.005m3/s. The spring has never run dry.
A survey of thermophillic cyanobacteria identified abundant growths of Phormidium ambiguum GOM which formed conophyton like pinnacles up to 40cm high in the still water.
During periods where the well floods, water flows out onto the park forming a shallow pond area adjacent to the well building. Algae
flourishes in the overflow water which stand stationary exposed to light and oxygen
, of which there is little in the thermal waters inside the well building. Filamentous algae Melosira variants and Spirogyra
have both been identified and are very abundant in the flooded pool area outside of the well building.
Taff's Well
Taff's Well or Taffs Well is a village located just north of the city of Cardiff and from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town.-Name:...
or Taffs Well (Welsh: Ffynnon Taf) north of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, UK (National Grid Reference ST 11925 83639) and an elevation of about 30m AOD. It is the only thermal spring in Wales. The spring emerges on the eastern bank of the River Taff
River Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
and has been contained within a brick well structure and building. Access is via Taff's Well
Taff's Well
Taff's Well or Taffs Well is a village located just north of the city of Cardiff and from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town.-Name:...
park, a public park, owned and maintained by "Rhondda Cynnon Taff Council".
The spring is enclosed inside a well and stone building constructed in the 19th century. The well built to contain the spring waters is brick lined and approximately 4m deep. The building has an internal dimension of 5.3m x 3.9m and water fills this area. A brick built spiral staircase is incorporated in the inside of the well. There is one visible overflow pipe which emerges several meters to the west of the spring, on the bank of the River Taff
River Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
.
Thermal springs are also located in Bath, Somerset Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
Hotwells
Hotwells
Hotwells is a district of the English port city of Bristol. It is located to the south of and below the high ground of Clifton, and directly to the north of the Floating Harbour. The southern entrance to the Avon Gorge, which connects those docks to the sea, lies at the western end of Hotwells. The...
, Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
in England and Mallow, County Cork
Mallow, County Cork
Mallow is the "Crossroads of Munster" and the administrative capital of north County Cork, in Ireland. The Northern Divisional Offices of Cork County Council are located in the town....
in Ireland. There are no reported thermal springs in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The thermal springs are all located in Carboniferous Limestone
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
synclines and basins. These structural settings allow water to descend to sufficient depth for it to be heated by the geothermal gradient, and to return to the surface without a significant fall in temperature Taffs Well spring is also located in a similar setting, the southern limb of the south Wales Coalfield syncline.
The site is not protected by any statutory legislation; it is however a registered 'Regionally Important Geological Site' or RIGS site and a Grade II listed building site
History
The early history of Taff's WellTaff's Well
Taff's Well or Taffs Well is a village located just north of the city of Cardiff and from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town.-Name:...
spring is not well documented. Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
settlements and roads occur throughout the Taff Valley and one could speculate it was used by the Romans on a local scale. An early writing states it was sometimes called ‘Ffynnon Dwym’ or ‘tepid well’. In 1799 flood waters are reported to have removed Roman masonry that once adjoined the well.
19th century dictionaries mention the reported medicinal properties of the water, especially for the cure of rheumatism and the waters are said to possess medicinal properties of very high order.
The following excerpt is from Hall 1861. It is a description of people's beliefs in the healing powers of holy wells in the nineteenth century.
- At all hours of the day and night there are ailing and decrepit persons, men, women , and children, waiting “a turn” to bathe. Women must bathe here as well as men, and when a bonnet is hung on the outside, it is a sign that the gentler sex have possession. As but two, or at most three can find room in the bath inside, it is obvious that persons seeking relief must wait sometimes for hours before they obtain right of entrance. Yet it would be very easy to produce larger accommodation; for as we have observed there are several other springs at hand,. That might be at little cost fitted up for bathers. These bathers however are of the poorer classes and although we believe a fee is paid by them to the farmer who owns the ground, there is little prospect of any better accommodation until some practically minded benevolent person interferes to promote the comfort and restore the health of humble visitors to the Well.
From our inquiries we have reason to conclude that the waters do relieve and in some cases banish chronic disorders. Our attention was directed to a lad who came there a cripple and who was after a fortnights bathing enabled to run about the green meadow and enjoy life.
There was another patient who seamed unable to move without the aid of crutches. In his own country – for a very few words told us to what country he belonged – he would have been called a “bocher” (lame man); in the neighbourhood of Taff’s Well he was termed “ the Irish rebel”.
”But how” we inquired, “how is it that with such a number of holy wells in your own country you leave them and come to St. Taff to be cured?”
“Because I’m for justice to ould Ireland. Does your honour think that when I had the misfortune to take up with the rhumatis in this country, I’d go bothering my own saints to give me the cure? I’d scorn it ! hav’n’t they enough to do with their own blind and bochers, without bein’ put upon to do the work that belongs to St. Taff ? It was down in his mines I got it, and it’s his duty to see me righted ; and so he will, with God’s help someday. If the gorsoons would let me alone, I’d be a dale healthier meeself ; but aftermee dip in the well, when I come down here to go over mee bades, and say ‘God be wid ould times,’ and think of where mee heart lies bleedin,’ – of the pleasant places, the singing strames and singing birds, and one that is singing sweeter than either up there now !
The growing popularity of Taff's Well
Taff's Well
Taff's Well or Taffs Well is a village located just north of the city of Cardiff and from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town.-Name:...
spring as a tourist destination was again reported in 1877 by the chemist J. W. Thomas who said ‘the well waters have long since obtained some celebrity, especially the well water as a curative agent for rheumatism.’ Thomas sensibly concludes ‘we do not feel encouraged by this story (which, by the way, we rather fancy we have heard before) to insist very much upon the curative properties of the Water of Taff's Well.’
During the 19th century a weir was constructed across the River Taff
River Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
. This caused the widening of the River Taff
River Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
which moved eastwards towards the spring with floodwaters often covering the spring "Rhondda Cynnon Taff Council".
The well building fell into disrepair at the beginning of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and in 1929 the Taffs Well villagers decided to repair the well and it re-opened in 1930 complete with a small swimming pool. It was around this time that the famous travel writer H.V Morton visited the well dedicating several pages of his 1932 book to the well. A large flood in the 1950s caused the pool, and well, to fall into disuse once again. In 1978 the wells waters were used to rescue the village bowling greens from drought. It was not until the 1990s that a redevelopment of the area was undertaken by "Rhondda Cynnon Taff Council".
Unlike some thermal water sources in the UK such as the Bath Springs and Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
in the Peak district
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
, Taff's Well
Taff's Well
Taff's Well or Taffs Well is a village located just north of the city of Cardiff and from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town.-Name:...
spring is not currently used for water supply or recreational use. Rhondda Cynon Taff Council had plans to reinstate the spring and to utilise it as a tourist attraction but these have not been fully realised.
The Grey Lady of Taff's Well
Taff's Well is not considered to be a Holy WellHoly well
A holy well, or sacred spring, is a small body of water emerging from underground and revered either in a Pagan or Christian context, often both. Holy wells were frequently pagan sacred sites that later became Christianized. The term 'holy well' is commonly employed to refer to any water source of...
, although there are many of these in 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...
. The most well known myth or legend associated with the spring (apart from its healing properties) is that of the 'Grey Lady'. The myth is as follows;
A lady robed in grey frequently visited this well, and many people testified to having seen her in the twilight wandering along the banks of the river near the spring. Stories about this mysterious lady were handed down from father to son.
The grey lady was said to have beckoned a man who had just been collecting water from the well. The man put down his pitcher and asked what he could do for her. She asked him to hold her tight by both hands until she requested him to release her. The man did as he was bidden. He began to think it a long time before she bade him cease his grip, when a stabbing pain caught him in his side and with a sharp cry he loosed his hold. Alas I shall remain in bondage for another hundred years, and then I must get a woman with steady hands and a better grip than yours to hold me. She vanished and was never seen again.
Geology
Taff's WellTaff's Well
Taff's Well or Taffs Well is a village located just north of the city of Cardiff and from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town.-Name:...
spring emerges from the southern limb of the south Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
Coalfield
, Carboniferous Millstone Grit occurs in the immediate area of the Taff's Well
Taff's Well
Taff's Well or Taffs Well is a village located just north of the city of Cardiff and from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town.-Name:...
thermal spring. The underlying Carboniferous Limestone
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
can be seen outcropping just south of Taff's Well
Taff's Well
Taff's Well or Taffs Well is a village located just north of the city of Cardiff and from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town.-Name:...
. The underlying Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
Old Red Sandstone outcrops over 2 km southeast, just north of the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
.
The superficial geology in the area of the Taff's Well
Taff's Well
Taff's Well or Taffs Well is a village located just north of the city of Cardiff and from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town.-Name:...
spring comprises an unknown thickness of river alluvium and river terrace deposits.
The Taffs Well sub-unit is bound to the south west by the Tongwynlais or Taff's Well Fault, which runs north-south, crossing the River Taff
River Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
, and passing very close to the Taff's Well Thermal Spring. The Taffs Well Fault is a continuation of the Daren-ddu fault which is a major NW-SE trending fault in the Coal Measure rocks of the South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
Coalfield.
The Tongwynlais Fault is a normal fault and affects both the Carboniferous Limestone
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
and underlying Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
Upper Old Red Sandstone. The fault has a downthrow of 85m to the west
Temperature
Environment Agency WalesEnvironment Agency Wales
Environment Agency Wales is an Assembly Sponsored Public Body. It is that part of the Environment Agency that covers Wales. The Regional divisions of the Environment Agency are based on the concept of catchment management and administrative boundaries therefore follow the watersheds of major rivers...
have monitored the temperature of the well since 2008, using a Solinst LTC logger.
During this period the maximum recorded temperature was 22.12 oC and the average temperature 21.64 oC. The temperature varies +/- 0.5 oC about the average temperature of 21.64 oC. The temperature can, on the whole be described as constant.
The average temperature at Taff's Well
Taff's Well
Taff's Well or Taffs Well is a village located just north of the city of Cardiff and from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town.-Name:...
spring, 21.64 oC is over 10 oC warmer than the average groundwater temperature of 11.3oC in Wales
"Environment Agency Groundwater Quality Review / Baseline Reports".
| Temperature oC | Date | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 18.61 | 1877 | |
| 13 | 1969 | |
| 22 | 1969 | |
| 18.5 | 1969 | |
| 19.6 | 1980 | |
| 20.6 | 1988 | |
| 22.12 | 2008 |
Water chemistry
Environment Agency WalesEnvironment Agency Wales
Environment Agency Wales is an Assembly Sponsored Public Body. It is that part of the Environment Agency that covers Wales. The Regional divisions of the Environment Agency are based on the concept of catchment management and administrative boundaries therefore follow the watersheds of major rivers...
holds chemical water analysis for the spring and a summary of one sample is below;
Major ion chemistry mg/l
| Ca | Mg | Na | K | HCO3 | CL | SO4 | N | TDS | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41.40 | 23.3 | 38.8 | 3.06 | 261 | 35.9 | 19 | <0.196 | 422.46 | |
Minor ions and trace elements ug/l
| Ba | F | Sr | Fe | Mn | Mg | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 278 | 0.535 | 323 | 77.1 | 172 | 23.4 | |
Physical parameters
| DO % | EC us/cm | Temp oC | pH | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 527 | 21.73 | 7.61 | |
Gas
The spring water appears clear and it is almost possible to see to the base of the well. On all occasions nitrogenNitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
gas bubbles can be seen rising from the base of the well.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
is a common gas in other thermal springs and is also seen in analysis at Bath, Somerset, Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
and Mallow, County Cork
Mallow, County Cork
Mallow is the "Crossroads of Munster" and the administrative capital of north County Cork, in Ireland. The Northern Divisional Offices of Cork County Council are located in the town....
.
Water level
There are no historical water level readings within the Taff's WellTaff's Well
Taff's Well or Taffs Well is a village located just north of the city of Cardiff and from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town.-Name:...
spring, this is due to the overflow pipe which helps to maintain the level of the well. Iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
staining on the inside of the well house show that there is fluctuation of water levels. Flooding in front of the well is also observed, forming a warm water temporary ‘thermal pond’.
Water flow
Measurements of flow from the overflow pipe are rare. Slaters Dictionary mentions the well is close to the river into which the waters are continually flowing .In 1877 the well was described as ‘very powerful, and appears from rough calculation to afford about 800 gallons per hour.’ (or about 0.001m3/s).Modern readings show the volume of water from the overflow pipe can vary between 0.001m3/s - 0.005m3/s. The spring has never run dry.
Ecology
Ecological data from thermal waters is limited in the UK however an Irish Survey has been undertaken which looks at both flora and fauna associated with thermal and warm waters.A survey of thermophillic cyanobacteria identified abundant growths of Phormidium ambiguum GOM which formed conophyton like pinnacles up to 40cm high in the still water.
During periods where the well floods, water flows out onto the park forming a shallow pond area adjacent to the well building. Algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
flourishes in the overflow water which stand stationary exposed to light and oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
, of which there is little in the thermal waters inside the well building. Filamentous algae Melosira variants and Spirogyra
Spirogyra
Spirogyra is a genus of filamentous green algae of the order Zygnematales, named for the helical or spiral arrangement of the chloroplasts that is diagnostic of the genus. It is commonly found in freshwater areas, and there are more than 400 species of Spirogyra in the world. Spirogyra measures...
have both been identified and are very abundant in the flooded pool area outside of the well building.