Artificial whitewater

An artificial whitewater course (AWWC) is a site for whitewater canoeing, whitewater kayaking, whitewater Racing, whitewater rafting, playboating and slalom canoeing with artificially generated currents.

Course types

Three main types of course exist:

Natural flow diversion

These work either by diverting natural river flow through the use of boulder placement or damming, or by creating a new channel next to an existing river, possibly by a weir.

Tidal action

Often found in estuaries with large tidal reaches, a barrage is created across the river. The barrage is opened during a rising high tide to allow the sea water in, then shut as the tide turns. The water stored above the barrage is then forced through an artificial channel to provide water features.

Electric pumped

The nature of artificial whitewater courses necessitates the need for a drop in the river, and enough water flow to provide hydraulics. When this isn't possible, especially in flat low-lying areas electric pumps are used to re-circulate the water, these courses are often circular or U-shaped.

Pumped courses are extremely expensive to run, typically 1-2 megawatts of power is needed to pump 15 cumecs of water down a course with a 5 meter drop in height.

Olympic whitewater courses

* Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom Centre (Athens), Greece "pumped"
* Penrith Whitewater Stadium, Australia "pumped"
* U.S. National Whitewater Center, near Charlotte, North Carolina, North Carolina, USA "pumped"
* Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham, England "flow diversion"
* Eiskanal in Augsburg, Germany "flow diversion"
* Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park, China "pumped"

Other notable courses

* Nene Whitewater Centre in Northampton, England "pumped"
* Dickerson Whitewater Course in Dickerson, Maryland, USA "pumped"
* Adventure Sports Center International in McHenry, Maryland, USA "pumped"
* Teesside White Water Course at Teesside, England "tidal"
* Canolfan Tryweryn near Bala, Gwynedd, North Wales "natural flow modifications"
* Cardington Artificial Slalom Course near Bedford, England "flow diversion"
* [http://www.mates.sk/Slalom/e_defaul.htm Water Sports Centre Čunovo] near Cunovo, Slovakia "flow diversion"

Under planning or construction

* Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre at Waltham Cross near London, England for the 2012 Olympics "pumped"

External links

* Hydrostadium, constructor of most Olympic whitewater courses [http://www.hydrostadium.com/] .