KENNEWICK, Wash. — The Clover Island boat launch has been reopened to the public with approval from the Department of Ecology (DOE) following a boathouse fire in early December 2022 that compromised the water in the Port of Kennewick.
The DOE closed the boat launch on December 7. A boathouse had caught fire that morning, spreading to another boathouse and damaging others nearby. A temporary maintenance worker named Ricardo Garza reported the fire, according to the Port of Kennewick’s CEO Tim Arntzen.
During the fire, the Kennewick Fire Department reported as estimated 50-150 gallons of fuel had been spilled into the river. DOE had been on scene to clean up and investigated the spill, prompting the closure.
“On January 13, 2023, the Port was notified by Ecology that there was no longer any danger from submerged materials; and that boaters could once again utilize the public launch,” said the Port of Kennewick press release.
