Crews begin demolishing top of historic Lafayette Reservoir tower for seismic upgrade
Crews began tearing down the top of the historic tower at the Lafayette Reservoir on Friday, kicking off a seismic upgrade project that will permanently change one of the East Bay's most recognizable landmarks.
Piece by piece, workers started reducing the tower's height by 40 feet Friday morning, using a crane on a floating barge to remove sections from the top of the structure -- a structure that has watched over the reservoir since the late 1920s.
The reservoir provides emergency drinking water for the region, and East Bay Municipal Utility District says the aging tower poses a serious risk. Seismic studies found the tower could bend and break during a major earthquake, potentially causing an uncontrolled release of water that would flood Lafayette and Walnut Creek.
"With age and deterioration, there's more risk that it could crack or break, the higher, the taller it is," said Christopher Tritto with the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD).
The tower was built too tall for the reservoir's size, according to EBMUD. Nearly a century later, that miscalculation has become a safety concern, since the tower is connected to the reservoir's only drain system. If it were to crack, EBMUD says crews would lose the ability to safely release water from the dam.
A state agency that regulates dam safety has mapped out what areas would flood if the reservoir were breached. The flood plain includes at least one K-8 school, the Lafayette Police Department, and the Lafayette BART station.
"That's never happened, and we want to make sure it never happens," Tritto said.
The project has faced years of pushback from residents who want the tower preserved for its history. Tritto acknowledged the landmark's age — noting it was built around the same time Charles Lindbergh made his first, solo transatlantic flight in 1927 — and said EBMUD has salvaged pieces of the original structure, including a window installed in the late 1920s.
Officials have released renderings of what the shortened tower will look like once construction wraps.
Locals who spend time at the reservoir say they understand the necessity but are still processing the change.
"It's kind of sad to see the change, but from a practical, seismic standpoint, I think it probably needed to be done," Glen Pineda, who often visits the reservoir to take walks.
For decades, runners, walkers and cyclists have marveled at the tower during laps around the reservoir. Some are taking the transformation in stride.
"They took the cap off," said Glen's husband Juan Pineda with a laugh, removing his ballcap.
The tower renovation is expected to be finished by the end of October 2026.
