‘Bad loss for boating community.’ Richland marina is casualty of fish rehab
The dismantling of Richland’s Columbia Park Marina began this week as the 106-slip marina became a casualty of a years-long effort to improve salmon habitat in the Yakima River.
“It’s a bad loss to the boating community,” said Greg Ford, who owns the marina with his wife, Amy.
The Fords reluctantly agreed to demolish the 1994-built marina once the Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Yakama Nation, finalized a decision to remove the nearby Bateman Island causeway in October.
The marina is immediately downriver from the causeway and wouldn’t be able to withstand the force of free-flowing water once the earthen structure is removed.
The causeway provides access to Bateman Island, which is a popular destination for hikers and birdwatchers.
But it blocks the flow of water draining from the Yakima into the Columbia. The result is a warm backwater where predators lurk and feed on salmonids.
The Fords notified tenants the marina would close February and that their leases would end March 31. May 1 is the deadline to remove their boats. By Tuesday, only a few remained.
Boat lifts go first
With May 1 looming, the Fords enlisted Sunset Construction Inc. (SCI) of Kennewick to begin the first phase of demolition, removing boat lifts from vacated slips.
The boat lifts consist of pontoons and hydraulic systems. Boat lifts store smaller craft above the water when they aren’t in use.
SCI detached the lifts from the marina structure and towed them to the boat ramp. A forklift hauled them to temporary storage in the marina parking lot.
SCI anticipates completing its part of the job by Wednesday, April 23.
Work to remove the marina begins July 1.
Ford said his company hired Bollard Marine for the job. Work is expected to wrap up by Aug. 15. The city of Richland authorized demolition in February.
Shortage of boat slips
The loss of so many boat slips has had a ripple effect on one neighbor. The Port of Kennewick operates the public Clover Island Marina downriver from the Richland one.
The port received a flurry of inquiries from the marina’s tenants hoping to lease slips. The port worked to accommodate as many as it could by ensuring boats were in slips of the appropriate size and asking boat owners to remove never-used watercraft to free up space.
It still left a shortage of slips in the Tri-Cities.
One Columbia Park Marina boater working to disassemble his private boat lift Tuesday said he’ll keep his boat on a trailer and launch it each time he wants to use it.
The Columbia Park Marina removal does not affect a public dock nearby. The City of Richland-owned dock on the downriver side of the public boat launch will remain.
The Army Corps has not confirmed a date to remove the Bateman Island Causeway. The work is expected to occur during the winter.
This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 12:00 AM.