EBMUD owns and operates 23 dams, and each provides reliable water storage. Keeping these structures safe and secure is one of our most important responsibilities. As a public agency, we are proactive and comprehensive in our approach. We inspect, maintain, upgrade and improve all our dams to protect people, property and the environment.
Since 2010, EBMUD has improved the local outlet towers serving dams at San Pablo, Upper San Leandro and Briones reservoirs to ensure they will remain safe and reliable in the event of a major earthquake. Now, we’re doing similar work at Lafayette Reservoir.
You’ll soon see us in action as we begin a project to shorten and seismically strengthen Lafayette’s well-known outlet tower. For nearly a century it has served an essential function as the reservoir’s spillway. The tower connects to a large pipe that runs beneath Lafayette Dam so that EBMUD can open valves on the outlet tower below the waterline to safely send water to the local creek or nearby water treatment plant. Like a drain in a bathtub, it protects the integrity of the dam and provides flood protection. Unfortunately, the system no longer meets modern safety standards.
The new design, approved by state regulators, will allow us to operate safely and provide flood protection for Lafayette, Walnut Creek and other downstream communities for decades to come. In a nod to the structure that has greeted reservoir visitors for so long, the new tower will include a modern, lightweight operating house inspired by the original.
Public safety is a top priority at EBMUD, and we appreciate your cooperation as this work gets underway. Continuous reinvestment in our shared water infrastructure is part of our responsibility to protect the communities we serve.
Learn more at ebmud.com/damsafety
Above, a rendering of the upgraded outlet tower planned for Lafayette Reservoir.