Thursday July 17, 2025
Apple Valley New Now —
The City of Richland is preparing for a major change along the Columbia River that will eliminate the marina at Columbia Park West as part of a broader environmental restoration project.
The marina removal is the first phase of a larger initiative led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Fish and Wildlife to eventually remove the causeway that connects Columbia Park to Bateman Island. The project aims to improve salmon habitat and migration patterns where the Yakima River meets the Columbia River.
“There’s some efforts to help improve the flows of the river—so where the Yakima meets the Columbia—to improve salmon habitat and their ability to migrate up and down the river,” said Chris Waite with Parks and Public Facilities for the City of Richland.
Once the causeway is removed, Bateman Island will only be accessible by boat, as there will no longer be a land connection. City officials determined the marina cannot survive the increased water flow that will result from the causeway removal.
“It’s a great asset to the community, but we realize after the causeway is removed, it wouldn’t be sustainable to keep the marina here,” Waite explained. “And so, after analyzing a lot of options, it appeared the best option was to remove that.”
The enhanced water flow from removing the causeway would be too harsh on the marina’s infrastructure, making it impossible to maintain the facility safely.
The deconstruction project will bring temporary closures to commonly used areas of Columbia Park. The western edge of the parking lot, starting at the boat launch and extending west, will be closed for staging vehicles and equipment. The trail through Columbia Park West will also require a slight detour around the marina area, with pedestrians rerouted through the road.
Not all community members support the marina’s removal. Verl, a Richland local, acknowledged the disappointment some residents will feel.
“The people that like the marina—they’ll be disappointed. And if they take out the marina, they’ll be disappointed—the people that use it,” Verl said.
Despite losing the marina, Waite emphasized that water access will remain available to the public.
“You know, we did lose— in the capacity in the Tri-Cities—we lost a fair amount of boats to stay on the water, to be docked up here,” Waite said. “With the loss of the marina, I did want to point out we still have a public boat launch that will stay in place after the causeway removal.”
The marina deconstruction is expected to take approximately two months. City officials say public comment opportunities will be available as the larger causeway removal project advances under the direction of the lead federal agencies.
The City of Richland is not the lead agency on the overall project but is coordinating the marina removal phase. The broader environmental restoration effort represents a significant change to the Columbia River landscape in the Tri-Cities area, prioritizing salmon habitat restoration over recreational boating infrastructure.