Almaden Reservoir
March 2008
Location of lake in California
Location of lake in California
Almaden Reservoir
LocationSanta Clara County, California
Coordinates37°09′45″N 121°50′08″W / 37.16250°N 121.83556°W / 37.16250; -121.83556
Typereservoir
Primary inflowsLarrabee Gulch,[1] Barret Canyon,[2] Herbert Creek,[3] and Jacques Gulch[4]
Primary outflowsAlamitos Creek
Catchment area12.5 sq mi (32 km2)
Basin countriesUnited States
Managing agencySanta Clara Valley Water District
Max. length4,000 ft (1,200 m)
Max. width600 ft (180 m)
Surface area62 acres (250,000 m2)
Water volume2,000 acre-feet (2,500,000 m3)
Surface elevation617 feet (188 m)
References[5][6][1][2][3][4]

Almaden Reservoir is an artificial lake in the hills south of San Jose, California in the United States. It borders on the 4,163-acre (1,685 ha) Almaden Quicksilver County Park,[7] which provides limited fishing[8] ("catch-and-release"), picnicking, hiking, and horseback riding activities. Swimming[9] and boating[10] are not permitted in the reservoir.

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has issued a "Do Not Eat" advisory for any fish caught in Almaden Reservoir due to elevated levels of mercury.[11]

History

The reservoir was formed by the Almaden Dam,[12] built in 1936 (88 years ago) (1936) across Alamitos Creek near the community of New Almaden. Its waters reach the San Francisco Bay by way of the Guadalupe River. It is one of the smaller reservoirs owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District.[13]

Almaden Dam

Almaden Dam is an earthen dam 110 feet (34 m) high and 500 feet (150 m) long containing 250,000 cubic yards (190,000 m3) of material. Its crest is 615 feet (187 m) above sea level.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Larrabee Gulch". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ a b "Barret Canyon". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ a b "Herbert Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  4. ^ a b "Jacques Gulch". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  5. ^ a b "Listing of Jurisdictional Dams in California" (PDF). California Department of Water Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 5, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  6. ^ "Almaden Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  7. ^ "Santa Clara County Parks: Almaden Quicksilver Park". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  8. ^ "Santa Clara County Parks: Fishing Guidelines". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2017-07-03. Mercury has been found to accumulate in Almaden, Calero, Guadalupe, Anderson and Stevens Creek Reservoirs at levels that make the fish unsafe to eat.
  9. ^ "Santa Clara Valley Water District: Recreation Restrictions". Archived from the original on 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-07-04. Swimming at Almaden, Coyote, Anderson and Calero reservoirs is prohibited by the state Department of Health to protect the drinking water supply from potential bacteriological contamination.
  10. ^ "Santa Clara County Parks: Boating Guidelines". County of Santa Clara. Retrieved 2017-07-03. Certain reservoirs and bodies of water in Santa Clara County are closed indefinitely to all vessels and floats - these include: Almaden, Chesbro, Sandy Wool, Cottonwood, Grant, Guadalupe, Uvas and Vasona.
  11. ^ Monserrat, Laurie (2015-03-11). "Almaden Reservoir". OEHHA. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  12. ^ "Santa Clara Valley Water District: Almaden Dam and Reservoir". Archived from the original on 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-07-03. Almaden reservoir produces about 4 percent of the district's local water supply and also provides water for groundwater recharge.
  13. ^ "Santa Clara Valley Water District: List of Reservoirs". Archived from the original on 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
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