Columbia River boat launch closes for $95,000 facelift
.jpg "The Two Rivers Park boat launch is closed May 14-18 while the aging docks are replaced. The boat launch is one of the most popular spots to get onto the Columbia River, but don't fret. There are lots of other good options nearby.")
The nine sections of dock at Finley's popular Two Rivers Park are getting a well deserved retirement after standing up to wind, rain and and the occasional animal carcass for 30 years.
Benton County will close the heavily used boat launch May 14-18 while a contractor replaces the floating dock, a $95,000 project that caps more than a year of work at Two Rivers.
The county leases the 273-acre site from the Army Corps of Engineers and operates it as a day-use park with a year-round boat launch. It includes a swim beach, playground, disc golf course, restrooms and drinking fountains.
Adam Fyall, the county's sustainable development manager, said the two-lane boat launch is one of the busiest in the region. It is the last paved launch on the Columbia before McNary Dam at the state border.
Two Rivers is heavily used by recreational boaters, duck hunters and fishers pursuing salmon, bass and other species.
Fyall said user numbers are unreliable, but there's usually at least one boat trailer in the parking lot.
"It gets a lot of use," he said.
Tri-City boaters have options while Two Rivers is closed.
There are about a dozen paved, public boat launches in the Tri-Cities.
The nearest are in Burbank at Hood Park, in Kennewick at Clover Island and at Columbia Park East, and in Pasco at Sacajawea State Park, the Pasco Boat Basin and at the foot of Road 54.
Farther downriver, there are boat launches on either side of McNary Dam.
Two River's current boat launch and dock have been at the far eastern end since 1988. Before that, there were boat launches on either side of the park's "great lagoon."
Officials wanted to keep motorized boats out of the lagoon and moved the launch to the main river channel.
The move came with challenges, Fyall sad. As the Two Rivers name suggests, two rivers converge at the park, the Columbia and the Snake. That means the year-round floating docks take a beating from all the forces the two rivers and Mother Nature can muster.
Fyall said the old docks did their job but it's time for an upgrade to modern flotation systems.
The new docks are designed to let more light penetrate the water beneath. That can reduce the number of places bass and walleye can hide from the juvenile salmon they feed on..
Tacoma-based Marine Floats Corp. is the contractor.
The county is making use of the existing pilings, which are in good shape, Fyall said.
Boating enthusiasts are invited to a dock dedication at noon, May 24, at the park at 213316 E. Finley Road.
The next round of improvements will include a boardwalk to link existing trails and a new bathroom. The county parks department is also considering steps to ensure the park always has a healthy mix of trees.
This story was originally published May 10, 2018 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Columbia River boat launch closes for $95,000 facelift."