LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA – One of Lafayette’s most recognizable landmarks now looks dramatically different.
The operating house that sat atop the Lafayette Reservoir tower has been removed, marking the most visible milestone yet in a major seismic safety project that will ultimately shorten the nearly century-old structure by 40 feet.
A photo we took on July 31 shows the tower enclosed in scaffolding and protective construction fabric, with steel reinforcement bars protruding from the newly exposed upper section. The top is totally gone. A crane barge remains positioned beside the tower as crews continue dismantling it piece by piece.
So the top is officially off. It does not, however, mean that the entire tower-lowering process is finished.
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According to a July construction update, demolition was scheduled to begin with the roof of the existing operating house. Crews planned to cut the roof into two sections and lift each section away using the crane barge.
The operating house walls were then to be saw-cut into several pieces and lowered onto the barge. Debris brought ashore is being loaded onto trucks and taken out through the Acalanes Road onramp, avoiding downtown Lafayette.
With the operating house removed, crews are expected to proceed with additional concrete cuts needed to reduce the tower’s overall height by approximately 40 feet.
EBMUD expects the upper-tower demolition phase to continue through the summer and remain on schedule for completion by late fall 2026. The broader reservoir tower project is scheduled to continue into 2027.
Why the Tower Is Being Shortened
Built in 1929, the Lafayette Reservoir tower serves as both an outlet structure and the reservoir’s spillway. It allows EBMUD to manage reservoir levels and safely release water through conduits beneath the dam.
The tower was originally constructed for a dam that was supposed to be substantially taller. Plans changed after the earth-filled dam embankment began moving during construction, but the already-built tower remained at its original height.
That left the structure approximately 40 feet taller than necessary.
Modern seismic studies found that the unusually tall tower could bend or break during a major earthquake. State dam regulators consequently required EBMUD to address vulnerabilities involving both the tower and its underground conduits. It was locally controversial, but ended up moving ahead.
The approximately $14 million project will shorten and strengthen the structure, reinforce the conduits and add an onshore valve-operating system. The reservoir does not need to be drained while the work is completed.
Once reconstruction is finished, the shortened tower is expected to receive a new lightweight operating house inspired by the original design.
What Reservoir Visitors Should Expect
The reservoir remains open for fishing, hiking and picnicking, but visitors should expect construction activity to continue.
Crews are moving equipment and demolition debris across portions of the paved Lakeside Nature Trail. Flaggers may temporarily stop pedestrians or vehicles, with delays generally lasting around 10 to 15 minutes.
Construction noise is also expected near the tower, barge ramp and surrounding trail areas. A separate wastewater collection system improvement project is taking place at the reservoir at the same time, creating what EBMUD has described as the peak construction period at the recreation area.
EBMUD has also said it is considering ways to preserve pieces of the historic tower and potentially create a commemorative token for the public. Details of that plan have not yet been finalized.
We saw some of the glass-windowed pieces of the tower stacked in the construction site near the reservoir entrance. Hopefully they will be preserved in a local museum or otherwise put to good use.
For longtime reservoir visitors, however, the project’s biggest visual turning point has already arrived: the old tower top is officially gone.
Again, join our free 925 News newsletter for updates, as we’ll be following the whole construction process.
