The Columbia River didn’t always run through Tri-Cities area. Learn more
The Tri-Cities chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute is reviving its public lecture series with a free program Nov. 4 p.m. in Richland on the changing Columbia River System over millions of years.
The volunteer-based nonprofit is committed to the recognition of the ice age floods as a significant part of the nation’s and world’s natural heritage.
The talk on Tuesday will be by geologist Steve Reidel, who is retired from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
“We have always assumed that the Columbia River and its tributaries have been the same for many millions of years,” Reidel said. “In reality most river systems are dynamic, and the Columbia River is no exception.”
He will discuss how the river has changed over the past 16 million years and describe a time when Washington locations such as Yakima, Prosser and Benton City would have been on the Columbia River, while the Tri-Cities would have been left high and dry,
Reidel will speak at 7 p.m., following a 6:30 p.m. institute meeting, at the Reach museum, 1943 Columbia Park Trail in Richland.
Watch for future talks and other regional events at facebook.com/LakeLewisChapter or iafi.org/news-2/#events.
This story was originally published October 31, 2025 at 10:51 AM.