A small project at the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia rivers could make a big difference for salmon and the entire ecosystem.
“This is more important than just salmon returns. This is gonna greatly improve that whole ecosystem,” said Joe Blodgett, the Yakima-Klicktat Fisheries project manager for the Yakama Nation.
As the removal project kicked off Monday, a handful of onlookers watched from the shore as two excavators stripped trees and shoveled dirt from the causeway to Bateman Island. Crews will remove debris once the project is complete, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The corps awarded a $1.2 million contract to Pipkin Inc. for the removal project.
“The plan is to dig down by layers before reaching water,” said Matthew Cole, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District.
Rubber booms on either side of the earthen causeway blocked debris from flowing downstream as crews worked. Parts of a local walking and biking trail were closed.
To see a time-lapse of the deconstruction project, click here.
Observers remembered earlier times watching wildlife, like deer, on Bateman Island or camping with local scout troops years ago. They eagerly anticipated how the Yakima River’s flow might change once the causeway comes out.
”Naturally the Yakima River, during the high flows, will probably go on both sides of the island. During the lower flows, you're going to have some of that Columbia River water flow into where the causeway currently exists and increase that delta area water,” Blodgett said.
That will increase habitat for migrating salmon, he said. In addition, by letting the water flow through freely, the frequency of hazardous algae blooms should decrease.
The causeway’s history is uncertain, but Washington Fish and Wildlife Department leaders said it was built around 1940, likely to help farmers access the island.
From then on, it blocked water from the Yakima River, creating a pool of warm water that served as a breeding ground for mosquitos and habitat for fish and birds that prey on salmon.
The warm waters often bottlenecked salmon migration and has led to fish deaths in recent years.
“The success of the causeway removal project will magnify benefits to the whole Yakima River system for salmon,” said Mike Livingston, WDFW’s south-central Washington regional director, in a news release.
Historically, more than 800,000 salmon returned to the Yakima River each year, making it one of the largest contributors of anadromous fish to the Columbia Basin, Blodgett said. Numbers have declined because of problems like poor water conditions and blocked migration routes.
The Yakama Nation has worked for years to increase salmon numbers in the Yakima River, all of which have to pass through the Yakima Delta area.
“This is going to be very beneficial in helping the goals of having all stocks that were once here in the Yakima River be able to come back in self-sustaining numbers,” Blodgett said.
The removal project is part of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, a collaboration among local, tribal, state, federal and environmental groups. The plan is a long-term project to improve water quality for fish and people.
“All the people working collaboratively together to accomplish something, that's when change really happens,” Blodgett said.
The deconstruction is expected to continue through February.
Once the causeway is removed, people can still access the island by boat.
