Almaden Reservoir

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.

Almaden Reservoir
March 2008
Almaden Reservoir
Location	Santa Clara County, California
Coordinates	37°09′45″N 121°50′08″W
Type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Larrabee Gulch,[1] Barret Canyon,[2] Herbert Creek,[3] and Jacques Gulch[4]
Primary outflows	Alamitos Creek
Catchment area	12.5 sq mi (32 km2)
Basin countries	United States
Managing agency	Santa Clara Valley Water District
Max. length	4,000 ft (1,200 m)
Max. width	600 ft (180 m)
Surface area	62 acres (250,000 m2)
Water volume	2,000 acre-feet (2,500,000 m3)
Surface elevation	617 feet (188 m)
References	[5][6][1][2][3][4]

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 (89 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

• List of dams and reservoirs in California
• List of lakes in California
• List of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area