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  3. Hanford Reach boaters temporarily restricted above Vernita

Hanford Reach boaters temporarily restricted above Vernita

The Priest Rapids Dam on the Columbia River near Wanapum Village, Wash., shown Jan. 30, 2001, is one of the dams that has its power generation controlled by the Grant County Public Utility District dispatch center in Ephrata, Wash. Four of five big dams on the mid-Columbia River, including The Priest Rapids Dam, and the electricity they produce are up for grabs over the next decade, but odds are they'll never change hands. (JACKIE JOHNSTON / Associated Press)
The Priest Rapids Dam on the Columbia River near Wanapum Village, Wash., shown Jan. 30, 2001, is one of the dams that has its power generation controlled by the Grant County Public Utility District dispatch center in Ephrata, Wash. Four of five big dams on the mid-Columbia River, including The Priest Rapids Dam, and the electricity they produce are up for grabs over the next decade, but odds are they'll never change hands. (JACKIE JOHNSTON / Associated Press)

WATERSPORTS -- Boating traffic will be restricted blow Priest Rapids Dam on upcoming designated days just as the popular fall chinook salmon fishing season is peaking in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River.

The River will be closed to boat traffic above the Vernita Bridge on a temporary basis Wednesday and Thursday, and also on Oct. 3 and 4.

The river will be closed while contracted crews work on maintenance of the electrical lines that cross the river, said Chuck Allen of the Grant County PUD.

Grant County Sheriff’s Office river patrol officers will be enforcing closure of a corridor about 400 feet wide, about 2.5 miles upstream from the bridge, according to the Associated Press.

Closures will be intermittent between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., and will last about 30 to 60 minutes at a time. “When the closures are in effect, watercraft operated by the sheriff’s office will have their emergency lights on and will be approaching boats before they enter the closed area,” Allen wrote.

Info: Grant County PUD, (509) 754-5035.

Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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