A $1.2 million construction contract has been awarded for the removal of the Bateman Island causeway with the work to begin this winter.

Pipkin Inc., which is based in East Wenatchee, is expected to begin removing the earthen barrier that connects the island to the Richland shoreline in December, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Walla Walla District.

The causeway, located at the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia rivers in Richland, restricts water flow and elevates temperatures west of Bateman Island, conditions that harm salmon migration, favor invasive species and fuel algal blooms and mosquitoes, the Corps said.

The project aims to restore natural water movement, improving aquatic habitat and strengthening the overall health of the Yakima River Delta ecosystem.

"We are so excited to be a part of the restoration of the Yakima River Delta," said Lt. Col. Kathryn Werback, commander of the Walla Walla District, in a news release. "... The island causeway blocks the river's course, which negatively impacts critical habitat for culturally significant fish."

Phil Rigdon, superintendent of the Yakama Nation Department of Natural Resources, said in a statement that he is hopeful that by February, "we will have the opportunity to see the river restored to its natural state. That's the exciting part - those things that we value as native people ... It's about the spirit of where our people, our history and our way of life have always been tied to the river, the fish, and our connection to the coast."

The project is being led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Walla Walla District in collaboration with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, Yakama Nation, state Department of Ecology and the Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group.

"There is a lot of power in collaboration. This really is the model of how we can succeed, and we are continuing to work together to build something," said Kelly Susewind, director of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. "We'll make progress on our unified goal, which is to have a fully functioning ecosystem here."

Columbia Park Marina was dismantled this summer ahead of the removal of the causeway connecting Bateman Island to the Richland shoreline. Water currents are expected to be too strong for the marina, which sat just downstream of the island, once the causeway is removed. The marina's owners closed it in the spring.