It also allowed barges carrying construction materials to access the sites of the London 2012 Olympics and Stratford City.

The original Three Mills Lock was constructed in the 1930s[2] as part of a scheme for flood prevention and the creation of employment.

This structure became inoperative by the mid 1960s, and was removed in the 1980s,[4] by which point the Bow Back Rivers had been classified as "remainder waterways" by the Transport Act 1968, and there was no funding for maintenance.

With the selection of the island formed by the City Mills River and the Lee Navigation as the main site for the 2012 London Olympics, restoration of the Bow Back Rivers was considered an important part of the development,[7] as it would allow construction materials to be delivered by barge.

[9] Prior to the development, tidal levels on the Bow Back Rivers reached 15.8 feet (4.8 m) above ordnance datum (AOD) on spring tides.