By Stephen Witt
U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Burbank, Glendale, West Hollywood, Hollywood) announced yesterday that she has secured more than $1 million in federal funding to demolish and replace a cracked, 93-year-old potable water reservoir that can only be filled to half its capacity.
Friedman joined Burbank Mayor Tamala Takahashi and Burbank Water and Power General Manager Mandip Samra at BWP’s Magnolia Boulevard facility to announce the $1,097,000 congressional direct allocation, which will go toward replacing Reservoir 2 as part of a total $23.8 million project.
“Right now, Burbank is relying on a 100-year-old reservoir that can only be filled halfway, in a city that has to buy every drop of its water,” said Friedman. “I secured this federal investment so we can replace it with a reservoir built to last another century — and do it without putting the full cost on Burbank families.”
Built in 1933, Reservoir 2 has a crack above the centerline that prevents it from being filled to more than 50 percent capacity. The state’s Division of Drinking Water has ordered it replaced.
BWP operates 22 reservoirs and serves more than 100,000 residents and businesses, but unlike most water agencies, Burbank holds no naturally occurring water rights and purchases its entire supply from the Metropolitan Water District — making storage reliability a critical local priority.
“This is not a nice-to-have project. It is a must-have project,” said Takahashi. “The longer we wait, the more expensive it gets.”
The replacement reservoir will be built to current drinking water standards and modern seismic codes, eliminating the workarounds BWP staff currently rely on to remain compliant with state regulations. Friedman noted the reservoir also serves as an emergency water source for wildfire response — a function that is compromised at half capacity.
Friedman said the funding came through a congressional direct-request process in which members apply for allocations from a pool of infrastructure dollars set aside for local projects. She said the money is already appropriated — it goes either to Burbank or to another district — and that her office focuses on submitting applications for projects most likely to receive approval.
“We don’t always get the money that we ask for,” Friedman said. “But by identifying the most important projects, the ones we think will rise to the top, that’s how we can be successful.” She added that fire resiliency has been a priority focus for her office.
Construction is expected to begin in fall 2026 and wrap up in late 2027 or early 2028.
