Resources

Photo credit: Tom Ring

The sections below provide further information on Yakima Basin Integrated Plan projects and activities, past and present. Further information can also be found on partner entity sites.

Public Meetings

Our Workgroup meets quarterly to receive updates on Yakima Basin Integrated Plan actions and activities, offer input, and share perspectives. The public is encouraged to attend meetings and participate by providing comments. These meetings are being offered both in-person and virtually.

Find Workgroup reports, meeting notes, handouts, and presentations here.

More on the Workgroup

2026 YRBWEP Workgroup Meetings

  • March 11, 2026, 9:30am – 12:30pm
  • June 10, 2026, 9:30am – 12:30pm
  • September 9, 2026, 9:30am – 12:30pm
  • December 9, 2026, 9:30am – 12:30pm

 

Reports

Quarterly Updates

Reports to the Legislature 

Environmental Impact Statements 

Other Information

Integrated Plan Timeline

Studies and reports 

Primers, Updates and Info Sheets

 

Related Links 

Historical Documents

NEWS

For Immediate Release

Jan. 5, 2026

Contact: Mike Livingston, WDFW, 509-424-1757, Michael.livingston@dfw.wa.gov; Joe Blodgett, Yakama Nation Fisheries, 509-945-5899, Joe_Blodgett@Yakama.com; Kathryn Herzog, USACE, 509-527-7020, Kathryn.M.Herzog@usace.army.mil; Merritt Mitchell, Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group, 509-840-5600, Merritt@midcolumbiafisheries.org.

 

Causeway Removal Begins at Bateman Island

Collaboration underway on long-awaited salmon restoration project

Yakima, Wash. — The Walla Walla District of the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) awarded a $1.2 million contract to Pipkin Incorporated Nov. 7 as part of an ecosystem restoration project along the lower Yakima River in Richland, Washington.

USACE is working in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), the Yakama Nation, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group to restore riparian and aquatic habitat and ecosystem functions for the benefit of Endangered Species Act-listed salmonids, other fish, birds, and wildlife in the study area at the Yakima River Delta and, where possible, provide education and recreation access.

Pipkin Inc. will begin deconstruction of the Bateman Island causeway near Richland today. The causeway restricts river flow and harms migrating salmon and steelhead. Removing the structure is expected to restore the Yakima River Delta’s ecological function, enhance water quality, and improve native fish survival.

The collaborative work on this project began years ago with planning and public engagement. A feasibility study and an environmental assessment were finalized in October 2024.

“As commander of the Walla Walla District, I am proud to be part of this effort to return the Yakima River Delta to its natural state,” said Lt. Col. Kathryn Werback, of USACE. “The island causeway blocks the river’s course, which has significantly impacted critical habitat for culturally significant fish for a long time. Removing it will begin reversing that harm through a restoration effort made possible by our strong partnerships with WDFW, the Yakama Nation, and Mid-Columbia Fisheries.”

Additional stakeholders and tribal nations supporting the project include the Washington departments of Ecology and Natural Resources, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, American Rivers, the City of Richland, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, Resource Legacy Fund, Roza and Kennewick irrigation districts, private property owners, and outdoor enthusiasts. The Benton Conservation District and the Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife Recovery Board were early, essential partners in project identification and development.

According to Joe Blodgett, project manager for the Yakama Klickitat Fisheries Program, “The causeway and its resulting problems in the Yakima River are a high priority for Yakama Nation Fisheries’ staff. Removing the causeway will help salmon and greatly benefit our first foods and also the people living nearby who rely on clean, flowing water. It’s a big win for everyone, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see years of collaboration come to fruition.”

Mike Livingston, WDFW’s south-central Washington regional director, states, “The Bateman Island causeway creates a bottleneck for salmon in the Yakima River Delta and compromises our restoration work upriver, such as the major fish passage facility being built at Cle Elum Dam. The success of the causeway removal project will magnify benefits to the whole Yakima River system for salmon.”

This causeway removal is part of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, a coalition of local, state, and federal agencies, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and non-governmental environmental organizations that are collaborating on projects to benefit farms, fish, and communities throughout the Yakima River Basin.

“We have been proud to work alongside regional partners for nearly 15 years — including early collaborators at the Yakima Basin Fish and Wildlife Recovery Board, Yakama Nation, and the Benton Conservation District — to elevate water quality and fish passage priorities in the lower Yakima River,” said Margaret Neuman, executive director of Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group. “Restoring the Yakima River Delta is critical to the recovery of salmon, steelhead, and lamprey throughout the Yakima basin. We are grateful to see the long-planned removal of the Bateman Island causeway move forward to restore natural river processes, improve the river’s water quality, and support healthy fish migration throughout the system.”

Deconstruction work is planned through February 2026, but this is approximate. For more information, visit https://www.nww.usace.army.mil/missions/projects/yakima-river-delta-ecological-restoration/.

To read a story about this project, see WDFW’s blog.

 

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The Yakima Basin Integrated Plan is a diverse group of local, tribal, state, federal, and environmental interests working together since 2009 to protect water in the Yakima River basin for our farms, fish, and communities. yakimabasinintegratedplan.org.