A project to shorten the iconic tower at the Lafayette Reservoir in Lafayette, California, has reportedly been delayed until early 2026. Construction was originally slated to begin in 2025.
The plan involves shortening the nearly 100-year-old tower in the middle of the Lafayette Reservoir and revamping the pump house on top of it.
EBMUD, which controls the reservoir, has been working on the project plan for years. The agency says that the shortening is necessary because of the catastrophic risks of the tower failing in the event of an earthquake.
The Bay Area Telegraph previously looked into what would happen if a major earthquake caused the tower to fail. It’s not pretty—the tower is not just decorative; it also serves as the spillway used to release water from the reservoir in a controlled way.
If it fails, the dam itself could ultimately fail, resulting in a wall of water that would inundate much of downtown Lafayette and parts of Walnut Creek. EBMUD’s plan seeks to avoid that fate by retrofitting the tower, which involves cutting it down in size substantially.
Again, this plan was slated to move ahead, but locals have raised concerns about this massive change to one of Lafayette’s most iconic structures.
During a heated town hall meeting late last year, residents weighed in on the plans. EBMUD also further explained why the retrofit is structurally necessary.
A group of citizens, who are also professional architects, shared their own plan for the retrofit, which they say could avoid shortening the tower.
Now, we’ve been told by a spokesperson for EBMUD that the plan to shorten the tower has been delayed until 2026. This has not yet been posted, and we don’t know the exact reasons yet.
We will follow this developing story closely and let you know as soon as we have more details. Please join our free 925 News newsletter so we can keep you in the loop.
The good news for fans of the tower is that they can enjoy it in its current form for at least a while longer. We just need to hope that there isn’t a big earthquake in that time, and that the experts reviewing this ultimately reach a conclusion and move ahead with whatever work needs to be done.
We don’t love the idea of a short tower, but we especially hate the idea of a wave of water flooding through downtown Lafayette!
