Lafayette, California — If you have pulled into the Lafayette Reservoir parking lot recently and been greeted by tall green construction fences instead of open views of the water, you are not alone.
Regular walkers and joggers have been asking what exactly is going on at the popular recreation area. After speaking with the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), Bay Area Telegraph can confirm that the current wave of fencing and staging is tied to a major wastewater project at the reservoir — not to the controversial plan to shorten the reservoir’s outlet tower.
A big sewer upgrade inside the park
The work now getting underway is part of EBMUD’s Lafayette Reservoir Recreation Area Wastewater Collection System Improvements project.
In plain English, the district is replacing aging wastewater and sewer piping that serves restrooms and other facilities inside the park. The system has been in place for decades and needs upgrades to keep things running reliably for the long term.
On its project description, EBMUD says the work is scheduled from fall 2025 through fall 2026 and is aimed at ensuring reliable wastewater service for the recreation area. The project includes new sewer lines, manholes, and related infrastructure, much of it buried under roads and landscaped areas that thousands of people pass over every week.
An EBMUD spokesperson told Bay Area Telegraph that the construction fencing visitors are currently seeing is tied to this wastewater project and to early site preparation for it, including staging areas for equipment and materials.
Park will stay open, but expect some impacts
The good news for regulars is that EBMUD plans to keep the Lafayette Reservoir Recreation Area open during the wastewater improvements.
According to the district, most visitors will still be able to park, walk the Nature Trail, tackle the steeper Rim Trail, fish, picnic, or rent boats. However, some specific areas inside the park may be temporarily impacted as work progresses and crews move through different zones.
That could mean:
- Short term closures or detours around portions of roads or paths
- Construction noise near active work areas
- Visual clutter from fencing, staging yards, and equipment
- Occasional impacts to parking when crews need space for machinery or trenching
EBMUD says it will post signs and updates on site as work shifts from one area to another so that visitors know what to expect on a given day.
Not the tower project (but that is still coming)
The construction fences have also stirred up confusion because EBMUD is planning a separate, high profile project at the same reservoir: the seismic retrofit and partial demolition of the tall concrete outlet tower that rises out of the water near the dam.
That tower plan has sparked a passionate debate in Lafayette and around the 925. Some residents argue the nearly century-old structure should be preserved as a historic landmark, while EBMUD and state dam safety officials say shortening and strengthening it is necessary for earthquake safety.
Those tower upgrades are still in the works. EBMUD’s current schedule calls for major construction on the tower to begin later. When that phase ramps up, reservoir users can expect additional closures and staging areas, likely focused more tightly around the dam and tower itself.
For now, though, EBMUD stressed that the fences people are seeing near the entrance and in parts of the recreation area are associated with the wastewater collection system improvements — not the tower project.
The spokesperson also gave us this link to follow ongoing projects at the Reservoir and around Lafayette: https://www.ebmud.com/about-us/construction-and-maintenance/construction-my-neighborhood/lafayette-reservoir-and-water-system-upgrades
