Just one act of Congress separates the Tri-Cities and local tribes from a long-held dream of owning 34 miles of Columbia River waterfront.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026 with broad bipartisan support. The bill includes language to transfer property along the Columbia River to local cities, counties and tribes.
A companion bill is pending in the Senate.
It could be handled as a standalone bill or incorporated in another bill. Supporters say it could pass this session, probably after the Nov. 3 midterm election.
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, has championed the push to regain control of the local riverfront. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., supports the move.
Advocates say local control will lead to better maintenance of parks on the river and the possibility of limited economic development near the region’s signature feature.
“We are hopeful WRDA will pass this session,” said Erin Erdman, Kennewick city manager.
In a note to constituents last month, Newhouse praised the cooperation between local governments, tribes and business officials that led to the vision of a locally-controlled riverfront.
Newhouse, who is retiring at the end of the year, pledged to keep pushing.
“I look forward to continuing to working with my counterparts in the Senate to complete this work once and for all,” he wrote. Flood control mission
The shoreline has been in federal ownership since the 1950s. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers purchased land along both sides as part of the construction of McNary Dam and a larger flood control mission.
Today, much of the local waterfront is behind levees.
Kennewick, Richland and Pasco all operate parks and other facilities on land they lease from the army corps, as do local counties and ports.
TRIDEC officials estimate the local governments spend $2 million a year managing parks under a bureaucratic system that complicates planning and even everyday maintenance, such as replacing broken sprinkler heads.
The push to return the shoreline to local control dates to the 1995 version of the new WRDA.
Then U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, Newhouse’s predecessor, included language allowing the government to transfer shoreline to local control, subject to full environmental review.
Later, Hastings teamed with former Kennewick Mayors Steve Young and Brad Fisher, along with Gary Petersen of TRIDEC, to simplify the process. Instead of a full environmental review, they pushed Congress to simply transfer ownership.
The idea raised hackles with area residents who feared local control would unleash “rampant development” on the waterfront. Changed the approach
Officials rethought their approach and dialed back their requests, with TRIDEC taking the lead in building regional support.
Instead of asking for the entire 34-mile waterfront, they requested key parcels they say support long range plans.
They dropped requests for property below the high water mark, leaving flood control pumps and other infrastructure with the army corps.
The new approach included the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation as well as the Yakama Nation.
Both retain rights to the region under their respective 1855 treaties with the U.S. Government and both have requested that any transfer include protections for critical sites.
Both requested land as well.
The Yakama Nation wants Bateman Island at the mouth of the Yakima River.
The Umatilla want parts of Columbia Point South in Richland as well as land near the mouth of the Umatilla River on the Oregon side of the river.
Columbia Point South is the area near the mouth of the Yakima River accessible only by foot from the marina.
Kennewick wants all of Columbia Park within city limits, as well as the levee trails east of the blue bridge.
The city has a separate request for 72 acres west of Edison Street pending before the army corps. It spent a decade and about $1 million on the effort, including environmental review.
Erdman said the city hasn’t dropped the request, but added the 72 acres to the regional push since there’s been no progress.
If the current Congress doesn’t pass the current WRDA, Kennewick will continue to wait for the transfer request to be considered. Pasco
Pasco is seeking a long stretch of waterfront extending along both sides of the Interstate 182 bridges. The request includes Chiawana and Wade parks.
The city also asked the government to relinquish drainage easements within the city.
The Port of Pasco requested the basin where it operates a barge terminal, east of the cable bridge.
Richland requested Columbia Park West, home to the Reach Museum, as well as Leslie Groves Park, drainage easements and a small slice of Columbia Point South.
The small parcel nestled between the Yakima River, the Highway 240 causeway and Interstate 182 would let the city extend Carrier Road past the causeway to provide a second access to Columbia Point South.
Richland asked the army corps to release outdated drainage easements it says were recorded before levees were built and are no longer needed. Benton and Franklin counties
The two counties requested less developed sites to the north and south of the three incorporated cities.
© 2026 Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Wash.). Visit www.tri-cityherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
