Engineering the Columbia River
A federal river and harbor bill brings $79,000 to navigate the treacherous rapids between Rock Island and Priest Rapids.
The passage of the river and harbor bill will provide engineers with sufficient funds to continue improvements on the Upper Columbia River in Washington. The most significant project involves the reach from the head of Rock Island Rapids to the foot of Priest Rapids, a 59.5-mile stretch where the river cuts through a spur of the Cascade Mountains. The plan, estimated to cost $138,000 with half allocated this fiscal year, utilizes 'auxiliary power' via scow wheels anchored in the rapids to assist boats, alongside blasting submerged rock obstructions. Engineers state that once active operations are pushed forward, these improvements will finally open this vital stretch to consistent commercial navigation.
“The improvement is expected to give a depth of five feet at low water stages.”
The infrastructure projects of the 1890s focused on taming the Columbia for sternwheelers and local grain transport. Today, the river's management remains a central, often contentious, civic issue in Yakima, shifting from navigation to hydroelectric power, irrigation, and salmon restoration.
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