Clover Island Boat Launch Reopens

(Kennewick, WA) -- The Port of Kennewick has announced they are reopening the Clover Island boat launch as of today, Friday. The Port's Deputy CEO Tana Bader-Iglima telling Newsradio 610 KONA they had gotten the go ahead from the state Department of Ecology to reopen the boat launch, after a devastating fire caused massive damage to the launch, boathouses along the Marina and two boats, which sank, back on December 7, 2022

A Massive Cleanup in the Fire's Wake

The Port says there was a chemical and fuel spill into the waters off the island following the blaze. That prompted the Department of Ecology to deploy cleanup crews and place containment booms into the water. That was followed by a debris cleanup that the state was able to wrap up this week. At least 50 gallons of boat fuel went into the water.

Things Not Back to "Normal"

The Port of Kennewick does emphasize there is still damage being worked on at the marina, and boaters and other users do need to be aware of the work going on as they boat in the area. The fire, which sent smoke and flames high into the air, ended up destroying two boathouses and damaging two others. It caused two boats to sink.