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When summering in northwest Wales, 19th century artist David Cox travelled to paint a spectacular but less celebrated waterfall near Ffestiniog in Eryri (Snowdonia) . His watercolour, now in the British Museum, London, was to become regarded as the iconic view of Rhaeadr y Cwm, a tumble of water now mired a battle between a farming family and seven conservation groups. For more than three decades the waterfall has been considered a potential site for a small scale hydro-electric scheme. The latest proposal, submitted last year by three local farming brothers, has run into oppositio n from a coalition of concerned organisations. With nearly 70% of its water due to be diverted through pipes, critics argue one of the national park's "most striking waterfalls" risks losing its distinctive gorge habitats. These are home to rare, damp-loving mosses and liverwort. With the scheme expected to be considered by Eryri's planners in the near future, a novel way of raising money for the anti-hydro campaign has been hatched. Jeremy Yates, vice president of the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, has created two new paintings of the famous waterfall for auction. Mr Yates, who taught art at Bangor University , said: “This has given me the opportunity not only to support this vital ecological campaign but also to work on a view made famous by Cox and other artists before me. "I chose to use his viewpoint to reinforce the importance and significance of this remarkable unspoiled place.” Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone The applicant is MED Dafydd, a business set up by three farming brothers who commissioned a lengthy environmental impact assessment to address concerns. As a result, they pressed ahead in the belief there will be “minimal negative impact”. As well as supporting rural diversification and the switch to renewables, the brothers hope their hydro scheme will be part of Energy Local, a community interest company based in North Wales. Energy Local enables communities to buy locally generated energy at a fair price. Cymdeithas Eryri Snowdonia Society, which is heading opposition, argues the amount of electricity generated will be too small to justify laying pipes and building a weir. Its director, Rory Francis, said: "The scheme's capacity would be just 600kW. In other words, it would take 12 schemes like this to generate the amount of electricity of just one modern wind turbine." Other members of the opposition coalition includes Save our Rivers, British Mountaineering Council, North Wales Rivers Trust, Buglife, Plantlife and the North Wales Wildlife Trust. Their campaigning has seen over 1,100 people writing in to object to the development, including more than 200 from Dwyfor Meirionnydd. An online auction of Mr Yates's paintings is being hosted on the Cymdeithas Eryri website . Deadline for bids is 12 noon on December 8. Reserve price for both is £300, a figure already reached for one of the artworks. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday Find out what's happening near you
