The Lafayette Reservoir — a cherished landmark in many students’ backyards — has been home to many picnics, dog walks, birthday parties, “hot girl walks,” boating adventures, and more. The local community flocks to this beloved recreational spot throughout the year to enjoy its natural beauty and unique landscape. “I love walking because it’s my alone time and I reflect on my life,” senior Eliana Bottene said. Bottene walks the reservoir every Sunday and she’s spent time there since she was 7. “My family loved to hang out together and play with my dog Luigi in the park.” Right in the center of the reservoir stands the 170-foot tall tower, which regulates the 1.4 billion gallons of water in the basin at all times. This tower acts as a spillway for the reservoir and makes it the only safe way to drain water from the large body of water. The tower was built too high because the original dam height — meant to be 33 feet higher than its current height — couldn’t be supported on the soil. This iconic landmark has stood strong for 96 years. However, last November, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) released a statement containing plans to shorten the tower by a considerable 40 feet because, unknown to most people, its height could endanger surrounding buildings and even other cities.. 

According to the California Division of Safety of Dams, during seismic events, such as large earthquakes, the tower’s height renders it vulnerable to bending and breaking. This could lead to uncontrolled amounts of water flooding not just Lafayette but also Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, and Martinez. With this potential threat to public safety, the need for action in a timely manner proves to be crucial. “A failure of the Lafayette Tower poses severe health and safety risks to residents, schools, and businesses,” EBMUD said in their statement. Lasting one year, this $14 million construction project is fully funded by EBMUD customers from Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

So why the backlash against this order?

Within the Lafayette community, there has been intense pushback against the shortening of the tower. The Lafayette City Council has hosted many meetings throughout the year on plans to maintain the tower’s height; engineers and architects who live in the area have disagreed with EBMUD’s plans, and controversy has spiked over the closed-mindedness of the EBMUD officers. Other plans have been pitched including an alternate design that could allow the tower to be reconstructed wider and preserve the original height. The only approved plan, however, is EBMUD’s shortening. Many Lafayette residents advocated strongly to protect the beauty of the tower and the reservoir. The San Francisco Chronicle interviewed James Scala, a 90-year-old Lafayette resident, and learned that since moving here 46 years ago, Scala still walks the trail to this day. “I discovered the reservoir’s natural beauty [when I] moved here, and the tower [stood as] a Lafayette landmark like the UC Berkeley tower and the Washington Monument,” Shala said. 

While the community’s concerns about preserving this historical landmark are understandable, EBMUD’s top priority is safety. The solution sought strikes a balance between safety and legacy, aiming to eliminate any safety concerns while still preserving the aesthetic appeal of the beloved Lafayette Reservoir. “I think the tower, which I’m used to looking at, is very cool and reminds me of a lighthouse; however, if it is dangerous and a threat to my safety and my kids, then I would choose to shorten it over preserving its aesthetic integrity any day,” Lamorinda resident Grace Kan said.