Almaden Lake Case Study

In the beautiful Almaden Lake, a popular San Jose city park off Almaden Expressway, has fish that have the highest concentrations of mercury contamination in California. Based of new state studies. There are four other lakes in Santa Clara County Anderson, Uvas, Calero and Chesbro reservoirs ,rank with the top 20 lakes with fish have the highest mercury concentrations. Almaden Lake is a 66-acre park off the Almaden Expressway. It originated in the 1940s as a rock quarry on Los Alamitos Creek. These creek, Guadalupe Creek, also drains into the Almaden hills, which was once home to the New Almaden mercury mines.

An oxygenation system pilot program being used at the Calero and Stevens Creek reservoirs could be used as an solution here at

Many neighbors of Almaden Lake are against it because they feel that their are many more solutions that could work and are cheaper. They feel this way due to the money used for the system will be out of the district parks funds and they think the money should be used for other things like better campgrounds, supplies, and etc.. but at the same time they feel it would benefit tremendously because they can finally eat the fish out of the lake, bring more fishermen to the lake, and will be a better attraction for people.

At this time, the park is currenting maintaining the mercury levels with solar powered circulation systems but they are temporary . So far though, the circulators have not improved the reservoirs’ water quality. They are many other solutions but none are permanent, the park will continue using this system until they can follow through with the oxygenation system.

Almaden Lake still is a very popular lake because you can still fish, swim, camp, and enjoy it but for fishing you are not allowed to keep any fish. It is a catch and release lake. For now the lake currently use the circulation system to prevent higher levels of mercury and the district will keep trying it 's best to resolve the mercury in Almaden