This donation could help save your life in the water

A $13,000 donation will help to save lives.

Battelle’s Columbus Foundation contributed the final $13,000 needed to buy some sonar equipment for Columbia Basin Dive Rescue.

The donation closed the remaining gap in the $22,000 that rescue workers were needing to raise.

The device will hang on the side of the rescue team’s boats to map the often murky waters of Mid-Columbia rivers, said dive rescue member Phil Morton.

Searches often start with interviewing witnesses to figure out where someone disappeared underwater. The divers are often hampered by poor underwater visibility.

It will help make sure the water is safe for divers and allow them to narrow where they are looking.

The organization began raising money last fall after the organization’s leaders agree to pay half of the $45,000 cost. Along with Battelle, P&K Towing and Services, Tri-Cities Sunrise Rotary and the Richland Rod and Gun Club also made sizable contributions.

“We would like to very sincerely thank each and every one of our donors and every one who helped spread the word,” said the group’s Facebook post. “We could not have done it without you.”