Section of Yakima Greenway Pathway to Temporarily Close

Habitat restoration work along the Yakima River south of the Yakima Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant will result in closure of a half-mile stretch of the Yakima Greenway Pathway beginning on Monday, July 15th.   The pathway closure is necessary because heavy equipment will be operating in the area removing culverts and preparing the site for the eventual relocation of the wastewater treatment plant outfall lines into newly created side channels along the river.

Once the pathway is reopened around the middle of October, bicyclists and pedestrians will notice that the trail has been moved from its present location in the flood plain to an area that is less likely to be damaged by high water.  The cost of relocating and rebuilding the pathway is estimated at $290,000.

Part of the restoration project also involves reintroducing wood material to the side channels and to other areas of the flood plain.  The City of Yakima, which owns the wastewater treatment plant, plans to use recycled Christmas Trees and other wood waste to help create habitat for birds and wildlife.

The Yakima River restoration work will cost nearly $500,000 and is being funded with state, county, and federal funds and is aimed at restoring habitat for salmon, trout, and lamprey by planting vegetation that is beneficial to both fish and wildlife along the Greenway corridor.

Contact:     Wastewater Utility Engineer Ryan Anderson – 249-6813

                   Communications & Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler – 901-1142

Pathway Closure News Release pdf