From the City of Lafayette:
Lafayette, CA: East Bay Municipal Utility District’s (EBMUD) iconic tower at the beautiful Lafayette Reservoir is in need of a seismic upgrade. Despite requests from the City and public input in favor of retaining the current look of the tower, EBMUD plans to proceed with their design for the seismic retrofit which shortens the 170-foot tower by 40 feet, starting in 2025.
On Monday, November 25, 2024, the Lafayette City Council is seeking public input to gage the community’s sentiment regarding the importance of preserving the Lafayette Reservoir Tower.
EBMUD is the dam owner and responsible for the maintenance of the tower, which serves as both an outlet and spillway for the reservoir. In January of 2023, EBMUD staff presented their design for the Lafayette Reservoir Tower Seismic Retrofit Project to the Lafayette City Council featuring a tower shortened by 40 feet. 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.
A group of Lafayette residents – who are all professional engineers or architects – volunteered to serve as a Citizen’s Committee to independently review the design on behalf of the City. They found that the tower could be retrofitted at its current height. The Committee also expressed concerns that the proposed shortening of the Tower could increase the seismic risk for the downstream residents in Lafayette in the event of a major earthquake. Finally, the Committee asked EBMUD to approach the necessary seismic updates with sensitivity to the architectural and community significance of the tower within the larger civic context.
Along with the Citizen’s Committee, the City met multiple times with EBMUD to advocate for alternative solutions to the Lafayette Reservoir Tower Seismic Retrofit Project. EBMUD disagrees with the technical findings of the Citizen’s Committee and has maintained their plan to proceed with reducing the tower height.
The Citizen’s Committee and City representatives also met with the State of California Department of Water Resource’s Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) the Division that regulates dams, sharing the Committee’s concerns and the community sentiment to retain the tower.
Last week, City Manager Niroop K. Srivatsa received a response from DSOD acknowledging the City’s concerns regarding the Project and providing additional time for EBMUD to propose an alternate design concept.
DSOD indicated that the currently proposed shortened tower design satisfactorily addresses DSOD’s concerns about the seismic retrofit of the tower. Nonetheless, DSOD said since the City is concerned with the current design, they would allow EBMUD to propose an alternate design concept by April 1, 2025, and if approved by DSOD, the State would allow EBMUD to delay the start of construction to 2027.
At their meeting on Monday night, the Lafayette City Council will hear public comments on the topic and discuss next steps. Staff is also proposing that the City Council request the EBMUD Board to hold a joint community meeting in early 2025 to solicit public input on the Reservoir Tower retrofit design.
Comments can also be emailed to the Lafayette City Council at cityhall@lovelafayette.org.
Details about the Lafayette City Council meeting on November 25, 2024 are available at www.lovelafayette.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/14125/16
I think it should be shortened as proposed. I don’t see how that could increase seismic activity downstream at all.
I don’t think that most people knew that the tower was so tall because the damn was supposed to be much taller! ( but it would have ended up being unsafe)
Any info on the costs associated with retrofit vs. shortening? Let’s vote on it!