RICHLAND, Wash. – The removal of the Bateman Island Causeway is set to begin on December 22, with public access to the island ending a day earlier.
Contractors will start by installing safety fencing and preparing the site, with excavation work scheduled to commence on January 5, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District said in a release.
Located at the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia rivers, the causeway has been known to restrict water flow, raise temperatures and degrade water quality. This has negatively impacted salmon migration and favored invasive fish, while also promoting algal blooms and mosquitoes.
Removing the causeway aims to significantly improve the ecosystem of the Yakima River Delta.
In November, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District awarded a $1.2 million contract to Pipkin Inc. for this project. The Corps is working in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Yakama Nation, the Washington Department of Ecology and the Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group.
