River Gele

{{Short description|River in Conwy County Borough, Wales}}

{{Use British English|date=August 2022}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

file:River Gele. - geograph.org.uk - 112834.jpg. Looking east from the road bridge.]]

The River Gele (Welsh: Afon Gele) is a river in the North Wales and a tributary of the River Clwyd. The town of Abergele takes its name from the river. The spelling is a dialectal spelling of the Welsh word {{lang|cy|gelau}} (spear or blade).{{cite book |last1=Mills |first1=David |title=A dictionary of British place-names |date=2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-960908-6 |page=2}} The river gives its name to an electoral ward, called Gele, which includes the southern half of Abergele town.

The river used to empty into the sea direct through the town of Abergele, but the Rhuddlan Marsh Embankment Act 1794 (34 Geo. 3. c. 110), diverted the river from the south of the town in an eastwards direction across the south of Rhuddlan Marsh and into the River Clwyd at Towyn.{{cite book |last1=Plant |first1=Steve |title=A wander around the coast of Wales : a 870-mile walk following the coastal path of Wales from north to south |date=2014 |publisher=Fastprint |location=Peterborough |isbn=978-178035-761-4 |page=21}}{{cite book |last1=Owen |first1=Hywel Wyn |title=The place-names of Wales |date=2015 |publisher=University of Wales |location=Cardiff |isbn=978-1-78316-164-5 |page=4}} A short distance of the rivermouth is tidal.{{cite map|title =Vale of Clwyd |map =264 |year =2015 |scale =1:25,000 |series =Explorer |publisher =Ordnance Survey |isbn =9780319244616 }}

In 2010 and 2011 there were pollution scares on the river near its meeting point with the River Clwyd at Kinmel Bay.{{cite news|last=Hughes|first=Ian|title=River Gele pollution headache for Council|url=http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2011/09/08/river-gele-pollution-headache-for-council-55243-29381821/|accessdate=9 April 2013|newspaper=North Wales Weekly News|date=8 September 2011}} The river has also subjected the area to flooding, with the worst recorded event in 1971. This has led to a culverting of some areas and banks being installed on the floodplain to the east and south of Abergele.{{cite news |title=Flood schemes protect two towns |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-12676946 |accessdate=6 March 2020 |work=BBC News |date=9 March 2011}}