Benton County joins chorus demanding return of Columbia River shoreline

It’s been 68 years since the Columbia River jumped its banks, flooding Pasco, Kennewick and other cities, leading the Army Corps of Engineers to take control of the shoreline.

With the flood risk mitigated by dams, Tri-City leaders say it’s time the Corps returned 34-plus miles of Mid-Columbia shoreline. Local control would lead to better management and allow commercial development now prohibited under federal rules.

Rallied by retired U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, the local control movement has been building since last year, when Kennewick passed a resolution supporting the land transfer.

Hastings, working with Brad Fisher, former mayor of Kennewick, and Gary Petersen, vice president of federal programs for TRIDEC, said it will take a loud chorus to convince Congress to give up the shoreline — again.

That chorus is growing.

This week, the Benton County Commission agreed to lend its voice, joining the Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC) board. The cities of Pasco and Richland have discussed it but not voted.

And members of the Tri-Cities Rivershore Enhancement Council expressed support, though there are concerns about how the transfer would happen if it would have to be paid for.

Reconveying the shoreline is an old battle for Hastings and Fisher.

Nearly 20 years ago, partly at Fisher’s instigation, Hastings convinced Congress to transfer the banks of the river to local governments. The deal included $550,000 for administrative costs and was signed by President Clinton. It faltered when local governments balked at taking on the liabilities and financial responsibilities, including the potential discovery of ancient human remains, like Kennewick Man.

But now Congress is more receptive to transferring control to local agencies, said Hastings, who retired in 2014.

“I think the time is right,” he said. He said a transfer could be accomplished this year.

The Corps acquired the shoreline from private owners through condemnation after the devastating 1948 floods. It later bought additional land as a result of construction of McNary Dam. Miles of levees and other infrastructure, including nearly a half dozen new dams, slashed the risk of major flooding.

Today, the Corps manages the Tri-City stretch under the McNary Shoreline Management Plan. The plan was updated in 2012 after several years of public review.

A spokesman said there is a process to transfer government-owned lands. However, that includes an exhaustive public review process and environmental reviews. Too, the receiving agencies would have to pay market value for the property.

Hastings advocates a simple transfer, likely to local cities or ports.

The transfer could be modeled on the U.S. Department of Energy’s transfer of more than 1,300 Hanford acres to the Tri-City Development Council at no cost. A ceremony passing the property onto Richland and the Port of Benton is Monday.

Federal control is a long-simmering point of contention. Tight restrictions on development coupled with the levees divide the community from a key asset.

“We have a gem in the Tri-Cities that is absolutely unused,” Hastings said at this week’s meeting with Benton County commissioners.

For Benton County and Kennewick, Columbia Park is a primary concern. In Richland, it is Howard Amon and Leslie Groves parks, both operated on Corps-owned land. And there’s Chiawana Park in Pasco, where officials believe local control will lead to a better-managed shoreline.

“It would be a lot easier without the Corps there,” said Rick Terway, administrative and community services manager for Pasco.

Kennewick reluctantly subleased Columbia Park from Benton County in 1988. The county holds a long-term lease for the park but, staggering under the cost of maintenance, wanted to back out.

Kennewick only took it on when the Corps threatened to padlock the gate if no one stepped in, according to Fisher, a Kennewick council member at the time. He said the council feared losing the Water Follies hydroplane event if the park closed.

Kennewick estimates it spends $900,000 a year maintaining Columbia Park and its minimal visitor amenities. Separately, the city is working with the Army Corps to secure about 60 acres at the park’s east end.

The city has said light development, such as a restaurant, could help cover the cost of managing the property. Commercial development is currently off the table.

“There is no commercial venture anywhere on the river because the Corps of Engineers won’t allow commercial,” said TRIDEC’s Petersen.

Transfer advocates spied a fresh opening in 2014 when U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D.-Wash., on hand to cut the ribbon at the dedication of Richland’s new Reach Center in Columbia Park, agreed to support a transfer if there was enough local support. Hastings said his successor, U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R.-Tri-Cities, supports the idea.

“There’s simply no reason now for the Corps of Engineers to have these lands,” Hastings said after this week’s commission meeting. “I have always felt from an economic standpoint the Tri-Cities is served better if they have control of the land on the water.”

This story was originally published February 2, 2016 at 8:44 PM with the headline "Benton County joins chorus demanding return of Columbia River shoreline."