From the paved loop, the Lafayette Reservoir tower now looks like a short concrete stem in scaffolding. The peaked roof and the little operating house that Lamorinda Weekly calls the symbol of a city incorporated in 1968 are gone. EBMUD's August stakeholder update says the structure is about 40 feet shorter and still wrapped in scaffolding and protective materials while crews work on what goes on top.
The cutting was the quick part. The rest of the job runs on a calendar set by state dam inspectors and wildlife permits, and much of it happens where walkers on the Lakeside Nature Trail will never see it. The tower will probably look nearly finished well before EBMUD calls it done.
Why the Tower Was 40 Feet Too Tall All Along
The tower went up in 1929, sized for a dam that was supposed to be taller. During construction the earth shifted, the dam was built lower, and the tower stood far above it for nearly a century. EBMUD's project page says it is "40 feet too high due to a change in the dam height during construction."
The extra height used to be a quirk. Under today's rules it is a liability. The tower is the dam's spillway, and the California Division of Safety of Dams, or DSOD, treats it as a critical structure because it is the only safe way to drain the reservoir. After the 2017 Oroville Dam crisis, DSOD tightened its regulations, and current seismic studies found the tall stem could bend and break in a large earthquake. DSOD required EBMUD to strengthen the tower and the outlet conduits under the dam and to add an onshore valve system for faster emergency response. The $14 million project is paid for by EBMUD ratepayers.
Shortening the tower to match the dam also meant the reservoir did not have to be drained.
Seven Weeks of Saw Cuts
The demolition ran close to schedule, just a few weeks later than EBMUD first posted. The project page listed tower demolition for June 2026. Here is how the summer actually went:
- Monday, July 6. Bay Area Telegraph reported that an EBMUD stakeholder update set this as the start of physical demolition.
- Roof and operating house first. A crane working from a floating barge lifted them off. Lamorinda Weekly described crews then saw-cutting concrete rings about 3 feet tall from the stem. Bay Area Telegraph published photos from July 31 showing the top removed.
- August 17. EBMUD reported 10 of the 13 rings removed and expected the tower to reach its new height by August 21.
- August 21. A Bay Area Telegraph reporter photographed the tower at what looked like its shortened height.
The debris came ashore by barge and left by truck through the Acalanes Road onramp, so none of it went through downtown Lafayette. Work was limited to weekdays, which Lamorinda Weekly noted kept weekend disruption low at a park that serves more than a million visitors a year.
What Goes Back on Top Has to Wait for a Floor
The new top is a lightweight metal operating house that EBMUD says will closely resemble the 1929 design. It can't simply be lowered onto the cut stem. Crews first have to cast new concrete corbels, the supports that will carry the platform, and then build a floor inside the existing tower.
That step got a state inspection. In September, DSOD representatives visited the site and reviewed the reinforcement and forms for the cast-in-place corbels. EBMUD's September monthly report to its board says "no significant concerns were noted." EBMUD's August update scheduled the operating house to be installed by November 2026.
The new house will change the skyline view from the loop more than anything else this year. It is also the point where the tower starts to look finished, though most of the remaining work is still ahead.
The Rest Happens Under Water, on a Wildlife Calendar
Once the operating house and electrical work are in, the tower needs final testing and commissioning before it goes back into service. Some of the hardware that makes it work as a spillway can only go in during a permitted season. EBMUD's August update, posted on the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce reservoir page, put it this way:
"As the seasonal environmental work window closes later in the Fall of 2026, crews will pause work on the tower components and return during the next permitted work window in the Spring of 2027 to install the new underwater slide gates and electric motor operators."
That window exists because the work is next to water and riparian habitat. Lamorinda Weekly reported that EBMUD got a permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and that a biological monitor is on site every workday from May through October. The monitor surveys for nesting birds, bats, bumblebees, the California red-legged frog, the Alameda whipsnake, the California tiger salamander, the western pond turtle and the San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat. Crews put netting on the tower to keep birds from nesting and relocated woodrat shelters, called middens, out of the work area.
So the tower will likely sit through the winter with its new top in place but not yet working. EBMUD's project page lists Fall 2027 for completion. EBMUD's Dam Safety Program Annual Report, summarized in committee minutes included in the district's September 8, 2026 board materials, gives March 2028. Either way, the tower has at least one more spring work season ahead of it.
Where the Old Tower Goes, and the Swallows
The concrete that came off has a possible second life. EBMUD said in August that people had asked about salvaging pieces of the original tower, and that it planned to make a historic token for the public. According to the district's September board report, staff met with Lafayette City Councilmembers John McCormick and Jim Cervantes and City Manager Niroop Srivatsa about a commemorative display, answered questions about its scope, budget and timeline, and held a follow-up meeting on September 18. Staff will keep working with them on the final display.
The tower's longtime tenants are part of the plan as well. At a public meeting in February, EBMUD said the swallows that return to the tower every year will be able to come back once the work is done. This year's netting keeps them off the structure while it is a construction site.
The Loop This Winter
The construction pause in late fall lines up with the reservoir's busiest fishing season. A reservoir staff member told Bay Area Telegraph that trout stocking should resume in late November, once the water cools. For the 2025–26 season, EBMUD scheduled about 12,000 pounds of trout, usually about 1,000 pounds per delivery. EBMUD plants trout from November through March. Its 2026–27 schedule is organized by week, not day, and is labeled tentative.
Fishing, hiking and picnicking stay open during construction. EBMUD has announced no vehicle closures for the tower project. The fishing permit, boat rules and trail details below come from EBMUD's Lafayette Reservoir recreation page, and the parking rates from its 2026 fee sheet.
| On the grounds | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Lakeside Nature Trail, paved, 2.7 miles | Flaggers may hold walkers for 10 to 15 minutes while equipment crosses toward the exit road |
| Rim Trail, unpaved, 4.7 miles | Open, with more than 10 miles of trail counting the connectors |
| Fishing | Needs a California fishing license and an EBMUD Fishing Access Permit from the Visitor Center |
| Rowboats and pedal boats | First come, first served until 4 p.m., docked by 5 p.m., $15 for up to an hour |
| Parking, 2026 rates | $7 daily, $140 annual, meters at $1 per half hour |
EBMUD's Wastewater Collection System Improvements project is running at the reservoir at the same time, and the district has said to expect noise and crews near the Lakeside Nature Trail and the barge ramp. For changes before a visit, EBMUD sends alerts through its construction alert sign-up and answers questions at [email protected] or 510-287-2053.
Lupe Kemper started out in homebuilding, so a job like this one stands out to us: corbels poured and inspected before the new top goes on, and most of the work hidden below the waterline. Older homes in Lafayette follow the same rule, because what holds a house up matters more to its value than what shows from the street. If you're wondering what your home's structure and systems mean for its price, The Lupe Kemper Team will walk through it with you. Request a Free Home Valuation.
