Construction of Olympic white water venue on schedule

The venue will hold enough water to fill 5,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools

Constructors of the Olympic canoeing venue on the west Essex border are confident it will be completed on time.

The Lee Valley White Water Centre, due to open next April will be the only purpose-built 2012 venue to open for public use before the games begin.

Construction manager Steve Place told BBC Essex they were well on course for October's planned for hand-over.

"It's been the worst winter for a good number of years, but we've coped and are still on programme," he said.

When finished, the 10 hectares will include a 300-metre Olympic and 160m intermediate course, a facilities building and viewing areas.

Work began on the site, situated in the Lee Valley Regional Park between Waltham Abbey and Waltham Cross, in July 2009.

All of the major earthworks are due to be completed by the end of June, as will the obstacles that will shape the course.

In July, the lake is due to start being filled with 25,000 cubic metres of water bored from a hole north of the site.

Steve Place, of Morrison Construction, who currently have around 160 people working on the site, said the project had been relatively straightforward.

The centre will be landscaped to fit in with the rest of the Lee Valley park

"It's similar construction technologies that we use on other jobs, but it's an unusual finished product that we're building here," he said.

The Chief Executive of the British Canoe Union, Paul Owen, said he was encouraged by the current state of the site.

"This time last year it was difficult to conceptualise," he said.

"But the completed facility building and the progress on the course footprint, really set the scene and provide a glimpse of the incredible legacy it will leave for canoeing and rafting."

Once construction is completed in October, it will be handed over to the the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.

It will then be tested by LOCOG, before opening to the public in Spring 2011.