By Tony Hicks –
Even if the state decrees the iconic Lafayette Reservoir tower must be lowered by 40 feet to be safer in a major earthquake, the city of Lafayette isn’t going to let it go so easily.
The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) briefed the Lafayette City Council on Monday night on its plans to lower the 170-feet-tall tower on the northeast end of the reservoir.
The tower was finished in 1929 (the reservoir was completed in 1933 and opened for recreation in 1966). The tower and the conduits at the base of the tower function together as a spillway and outlet to control the reservoir levels.
The utility says on its website “In the event of an earthquake, the tower is likely to sustain significant damage due to the lack of steel reinforcement in the concrete, and the conduits at the base of the tower would sustain damage from bending forces.”
The tower is 40 feet higher than it should be because engineers decided the nearby dam should be lower than originally planned, after a first version of the dam collapsed. EBMUD says it doesn’t meet modern seismic design standards and would bend and break in an earthquake.
The conduits at the base of the tower could also become damaged. The tower and conduits wouldn’t be able to function as an outlet and spillway, which presents safety concerns for the dam, especially in heavy rains.
The California Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD), the state agency that regulates dam safety, wants EBMUD to build a lower tower and add an onshore valve operating system to improve response time in an emergency.
Community members have expressed reservations about giving up 40 feet of tower, which can be seen for miles around and is perhaps an iconic landmark in the Lafayette area.
“Hopefully we’ll find a balance of aesthetic concerns expressed by the community with the critical seismic considerations,” EBMUD board member John Coleman told the council.
EMBUD has said the DSOD prefers a shorter tower, though there is some wiggle room when it comes to the shorter tower’s design.
The city has put together an advisory board of experts to come up with ways to keep the tower bigger before a scheduled community meeting on July 26.
“I look forward to hearing from them and I think they’re prepared to work quickly so they can get back to us before the community meeting on the 26th,” said Mayor Carl Anduri. “This is very important to the community, so I’d like to get the input of our community members who, from what I understand, very well qualified in this area to get a sense of what the possibilities are.”
Work is expected to begin in spring 2024 and last approximately one year.
Construction impacts are expected to be minimal. Some parking spaces will be temporarily used to store equipment and access to the reservoir may be suspended for short periods of time during large equipment deliveries.
EBMUD says they won’t need to drain the reservoir, though minor tree work is anticipated, along with some temporary, localized widening of the access road.
To see more about the project, go to https://www.ebmud.com/about-us/construction-and-maintenance/construction-my-neighborhood/lafayettetower.
The community meeting regarding the project will be held at 6 p.m. July 26 at Stanley Middle School in Lafayette.
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The “Lafayette Community” needs to take a chill pill.
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OMG Lafayette, let it go. This community wants to be frozen in time.
Possibly make a replacement using fiberglass
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Fine. But only if the residents of Lafayette pay for the design, engineering, fabrication, installation, and annual maintenance of such a fiberglass appurtenance… and indemnify EBMUD and be liable and responsible for any damage or personal injury if it fails.
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Lafayettans tend to be “chic and trendy” thus “woke”. They probably don’t realize what a mess the tower might make if damaged in an earthquake.
Thats so weird. Back in my Claycord days 1992-2010 Lafayette and all of Lamorinda was super conservative. Times sure have changed
Well that Tower lasted through the last big quake in ’89… I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.
The community meeting will be a tower of bable
EBMUD will get what they want.
The people don’t matter to the government anymore.
What a ridiculous thing to be upset about. It’s old and unsafe. It’s of no historical or cultural significance. It’s as tall as it is only because of engineering mistakes made many years ago. Replace if with something that is safer and more functional. How can there possibly be any debate over this?
“Sense of place” is an important component of community identity and the reservoir and the tower is one of the things that distinguishes Lafayette from the surrounding suburban sprawl.