RICHLAND, Wash. -- In partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the Yakama Nation (YN), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District (USACE) is releasing the results of its Yakima Delta ecological restoration feasibility report, a detailed study concerning the ecological implications and outlining proposed actions to restore the Yakima River Delta.
Located in Richland, Washington at the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia rivers, Bateman Island is only accessible via the causeway on its south side. The causeway completely blocks water flows south of the island, leading to very warm water temperatures west of the island.
The warm water provides ideal conditions for non-native fish to prey on out-migrating young salmon in the spring and makes it difficult for adult salmon to swim upstream in the summer. Elevated water temperatures also encourage algal blooms and mosquitoes, degrading water quality.
The feasibility report is one piece of a broader environmental review process under the USACE Continuing Authorities Program, Section 1135 authority given under the Water Resources Development Act, which mandates USACE to address degraded ecological conditions in areas under their control. At the request of local partners, the Walla Walla District studied various solutions to improve the ecological health of the Yakima River Delta for fish, wildlife, and people.
Throughout this project the Walla Walla District and WDFW have engaged a suite of local, state, federal and tribal governments, nonprofit partners, and the community. The public process began October 2019 with the draft report released for public comment in January 2023. Public engagement has informed the final product.
“USACE is excited to finalize this feasibility report and we look forward to the next phase of the project: design and construction,” said Kat Herzog, USACE Walla Walla District Planner and Project Manager. “This project is very important for improving habitat for salmon, as well as advancing the partnership between the USACE, the State of Washington, and the Yakama Nation.”
"The Yakama Nation is extremely supportive of the Yakima River Delta enhancement project,” said Jeremy Takala of the Yakama Nation Tribal Council. “Over the years of its existence, the causeway at the river delta has caused numerous harms to tribal people through losses to the tribe’s reserved treaty natural and cultural resources. Accordingly, causeway removal is a crucial action for meaningful and effective restoration of salmon and steelhead runs of the Yakima and Columbia river basins and restoration of our tribal practices of Treaty Reserved Rights. The removal of the causeway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would further its performance of its trust obligation to the Yakama Nation to protect Treaty Resources."
“WDFW is excited to have reached this point in the process of removing the causeway that has negatively affected fish survival and water quality for decades,” said Mike Livingston, WDFW South Central Region Director. “Since release of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ draft of the feasibility study report last year, we have worked with USACE and our partners to answer questions from the public and agencies. I look forward to beginning the next phase of this project to improve the environment for the fish, wildlife, and people who depend on a healthy Yakima River delta.”
More information, including the feasibility report, is available on the Walla Walla District website. For questions, contact the Walla Walla District at 509-527-7020 or via email at cenww-pa@usace.army.mil.