CADNO
CADNO was formed in November 1987 when there were plans to extend the lake at Trawsfynydd about three miles in the direction of Dolgellau. The Trawsfynydd Magnox station had been producing for 22 years at the time and the lake was the most radioactively polluted in Europe.
A packed public meeting was held at the old school in Bronaber. The North Powys based group Madryn had succeeded to oppose burying nuclear waste there a few years earlier. Madryn is the old Welsh word for 'fox', and in order to link the waste to its producer, the new movement around Trawsfynydd was called CADNO (also Welsh for 'fox') and a logo was adopted showing a fox's footsteps over a radiation symbol.The CADNO acronym in Welsh means Society for the Prevention of Everlasting Nuclear Destruction.
Strong support was received from Hugh Richards and WANA, from the Penllyn area in Meirionnydd, North Wales and beyond. A march and rally was held in Bala and leaflets distributed. CADNO applied for membership of the Trawsfynydd station liaison committee but were refused. However, three members were nominated to represent three acceptable groups, namely Maentwrog Community Council, Farmers Union of Wales and Merched y Wawr Meirionnydd. We soon saw how reluctant the industry was to reveal information. We had to wait for senior figures to agree to answering some sensitive questions.
There was energetic campaigning up to 1991 when the station at Trawsfynydd stopped generating electricty, but CADNO still exists because an intermediate level waste facility was built on the site and decommissioning has been ongoing since 1993. The promises to return the site to its original condition were empty ones.because there is now a new threat to the site with talk of trialling a SMR, Small Modular Reactor there. This is still at an early planning stage.
By now there is a lot of illness in the area and an increase in brain tumours. It is believed that the Magnox station has had an adverse effect on the health of the area's residents, as was seen on the HTV programme on cancers in the Llan Ffestiniog area.
Let's hope that people will be more prepared to oppose locating an SMR at Trawsfynydd. There is still a problem with lack of employment in the area, but the Dref Werdd plans in Blaenau Ffestiniog deserve praise for creating about 200 jobs. That is the way ahead, meeting the need for safe and healthy jobs, and not to accept employment with a direct military link to Trident.
Ffurfiwyd CADNO fis Tachwedd 1987 pan oedd cynlluniau i ymestyn llyn Trawsfynydd ryw dair milltir i gyfeiriad Dolgellau. Roedd yr Atomfa wedi bod yn cynhyrchu ers 22 mlynedd a'r llyn ar y pryd y mwyaf llygredig yn Ewrop.
Cafwyd cyfarfod cyhoeddus yn hen ysgol Bronaber a'r lle yn llawn o gefnogwyr. Roedd mudiad Madryn wedi llwyddo i wrthwynebu claddu gwastraff ymbelydrol yng ngogledd Powys ychydig flynyddoedd ynghynt. Madyn yw'r hen air am lwynog, ac er mwyn cysylltu 'r cynhyrchwr â'r gwastraff, galwyd y mudiad newydd yn Cadno a mabwysiadu logo gydag ôl ei draed dros rybudd ymbelydredd. Ystyr yr acronym yw Cymdeithas Atal Distryw Niwcliar Oesol.
Cafwyd cefnogaeth arbennig gan Hugh Richards a WANA ac o Benllyn, Gogledd Cymru a phellach ac aed ati i gynnal gorymdaith ac areithiau yn Y Bala a rhannu taflenni gwybodaeth. Gwnaeth CADNO gais i gael mynd ar bwyllgor cyswllt yr Atomfa ond gwrthodwyd! Foddbynnag, enwebwyd 3 o'n haelodau i gynrychioli 3 mudiad oedd yn dderbyniol- Cyngor Cymuned Maentwrog, Undeb Amaethwyr Cymru a Merched y Wawr Meirionnydd! Buan y gwelsom pa mor gynnil oedd y wybodaeth roedd y diwydiant yn fodlon ei ddatgelu. Roedd yn rhaid aros i'r penaethiaid roi sêl bendith ar ambell ateb i gwestiwn sensitif.
Bu ymgyrchu brwd hyd at 1991 pan ddaeth oes yr orsaf i ben, ond mae Cadno yn dal i fodoli oherwydd codwyd storfa wastraff ymbelydredd lefel canolig (ILW) ar y safle ac mae datgomisiynu'n dal i ddigwydd ers 1993! Addewidion gwag oedd dweud y byddent yn adfer y safle i'w gyflwr gwreiddiol oherwydd bellach mae bygythiad y daw arbrawf arall i'r safle, sef adweithydd 'bach,' SMR fel y'i gelwir. Ni ellir dweud llawer amdano gan fod cystadleuaeth i'w gynllunio!
Erbyn hyn mae llawer o salwch yn yr ardal a chynnydd mewn tiwmorau ar yr ymennydd. Credir bod yr Atomfa gyntaf wedi cael effaith ar iechyd trigolion, fel y gwelwyd ar rhaglen HTV ar Lan Ffestiniog. Gobeithio y bydd pobl yn fwy parod i wrthwynebu'r SMR.
Y bwgan o hyd yw diffyg swyddi, ond canmolwn gynlluniau Y Dref Werdd ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog, sydd wedi creu tua 200 o swyddi. Dyma'r ffordd ymlaen - ateb yr angen am swyddi iach a diogel ac nid derbyn gwaith sydd â chysylltiad pendant â Thrident.