Controversial plan to shorten 'iconic' East Bay reservoir tower to move forward

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Rendering of a shortened tower at the Lafayette Reservoir in Lafayette, Calif. (East Bay Municipal Utility District)

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LAFAYETTE, Calf. - A contentious plan to dramatically shorten the height of a nearly century-year-old landmark tower at a popular East Bay reservoir is set to move forward, despite opposition from community members.

For decades, visitors to the Lafayette Reservoir have been greeted by the jutting 170-foot tower which serves as an outlet and spillway for the 1.4 billion-gallon water basin.

But the tower has been in critical need of a seismic retrofit. The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), which owns the structure and the reservoir, has said extensive reviews have shown the tower needs to be shortened by 40 feet to fit the height of the dam.

"The project is required for earthquake and overall dam safety as determined by the California Division of the Safety of Dams (DSOD)," the water district said. "It is EBMUD’s responsibility to move this critical project forward as quickly as possible, given that a failure of the Lafayette Tower poses severe health and safety risks to residents, schools and businesses from Lafayette to Martinez," the agency added.

EBMUD said that it had initially planned to begin construction last year but put the project on hold to allow for more community input and to explore alternatives amid community opposition.

"EBMUD, as a member of the community, has worked tirelessly to work with the City to incorporate feedback from the community," the agency said in a statement. But plans are now in the works to move forward with the project in 2025.

Last week, the Lafayette City Council held a meeting, inviting public comment on the plan, which has faced resistance from residents who want to see the tower remain at its current height.

"The City Council and the community expressed concerns about the proposed design and the potential loss of the iconic tower that has symbolized Lafayette for decades," the city said in a news release.

Lafayette officials told KTVU that at the meeting, the city received a petition from more than 100 residents calling for an alternative plan that wouldn't involve shortening the tower.

The city also heard from members of a citizen's advisory committee which came up with that alternate design, a design the group said would allow the tower to be retrofitted at its current height.

The committee is made up of a group of Lafayette residents with a professional background in engineering or architecture which volunteered to independently review EBMUD's design plan on behalf of the City.

Officials said the committee has voiced concern that shortening of the tower could actually increase the seismic risk for residents downstream in the event of a major earthquake.

EBMUD contradicted that claim. In a letter to the city, the district’s general manager, Clifford Chan, wrote, "DSOD recently reaffirmed that the current design to shorten the tower remains the only approved solution to address the seismic deficiencies of the nearly 100-year-old tower."

City officials also protested the fact that EBMUD has not submitted the committee’s retrofit design to DSOD.

EBMUD officials responded by saying the committee's plan was a tower "concept," not a design proposal with comprehensive technical analysis.

And the agency said additional reviews by its own dam engineering experts and outside consultants concluded the proposed alternate design did not meet DSOD’s strict requirements.

"EBMUD invested about 18 months to perform detailed analyses of this alternative and also worked to develop an additional tall tower design that we thought would preserve the structure’s height and meet the California Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) criteria," the water district told KTVU in an emailed statement. The agency also noted that similar tower alternatives it has submitted to the DSOD have failed to meet the dam safety agency's standards.

The one thing both sides agree on is that safety remains the most important factor.

"Safety has always been foremost priority for City and the Advisory Committee, and continues to be so," the city said.

EBMUD said it has been trying to work with the city on this project as far back as 2015.

"While we understand the disappointment felt by some, our foremost responsibility must always be ensuring public safety," the agency said.

Officials with the water district said currently, the project is estimated to take about two years and that the agency is working with its consultants on details of the construction schedule.

The reservoir is popular for fishing, and the trail is widely used by walkers, runners, hikers, and bicyclists. Visitors are being warned that there will be some closures during the construction, which could begin as soon as the spring.

EBMUD said the agency does not expect to close the reservoir itself, but people should expect the construction to temporarily affect the parking lot and vehicle access.

The agency said there will likely be a few days of closures in the area at the beginning of construction to bring in a crane and other large equipment and a few days of closures at the end.

"We are working to develop a plan to allow pedestrian access," EBMUD spokesperson Andrea Pook said. She also noted that some parking spots will be inaccessible while they're being used for equipment staging.

Reservoir visitors were advised to keep an eye out for construction schedules and how it might affect parking and access.

"EBMUD will be notifying the community through social media, direct emails, and message boards on Mt. Diablo Blvd in front of the Reservoir of any changes to park hours or accessibility," the water district said.