Dylife Lead & Zinc Mine

Overview

Dylife Mine is located 13km northwest of Llanidloes, Powys, on the mountain road to Machynlleth.

It has been identified as a major source of metals to the Afon Dyfi catchment and is responsible for the Afon Twymyn failing to achieve European Water Framework Directive standards for zinc, lead and cadmium.

Dylife exploited lead and zinc from three mineral lodes: the Dylife, Esgairgaled and Llechwedd Ddu. The earliest workings are possibly of Roman date and may have been linked to the nearby Roman fortlet of Penycrocbren.

The earliest known reference to mining at Dylife dates to the early 1600s, with activity continuing intermittently, through the boom years of the mid-1800s when the largest water wheel in mainland Britain was erected, up until the 1930s, when the mine was abandoned.

This extensive mining history has left a legacy of bare spoil heaps, shafts, adits, underground mine workings and ruinous structures including wheelpits and leats.

The River Twymyn and one of its tributaries, the Nant Dropyns, flow through the site, receiving metal-rich run-off and discharges which impact on water quality and ecology. This results in the River Twymyn failing to achieve the ‘Good status’ required by the Water Framework Directive (WFD) all the way to its confluence with the River Dyfi.

Temporary engineering works have recently been completed with the aim of preventing erosion and improving surface water drainage. Next steps are for the Outline Design of intervention measures identified by the Feasibility Study to be progressed to Detailed Design, including consultation with stakeholders.