Guadalupe Tour
Lester McKee, SFEI
Guadalupe Watershed and Historic Mines Tour.
May 14th 2008.
Stop 1. Guadalupe River at Highway 101. 12:45 pm (30 minutes)
How to get there: Enter the airport off airport parkway and turn right keeping the river on
your right. Pass through a traffic light that meters traffic entering and exiting the rental
car return facility. Park in the turn around next to the river (Hwy 101 will be in front of
you and the USGS gauge house will be there as well. See arrow on map below.
Points of interest: SFEI, SCVWD and USGS have been collecting turbidity, SSC, and Hg
data at this location since WY 2003.
How do the data look?
100,000
HgT (ng/L)
10,000
1,000
WY 2003
100
WY 2004
WY 2005
10
WY 2006
1
1
10
100
SSC (mg/L)
1
1000
10000
Schematic of the creeks and reservoirs of the Guadalupe River watershed.
Guadalupe Tour
Lester McKee, SFEI
Stop 2. Calero Reservoir (Address: McKean Rd and Bailey Ave, San Jose, Ca).
1:30 pm (10 minutes)
How to get there from stop 1:
NORMAN Y MINETA SAN JOSE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, SAN JOSE, CA
95110 1. Start going toward the AIRPORT EXIT on AIRPORT BLVD go 0.3 mi 0.3
mi 2. Make a U-Turn on AIRPORT BLVD toward DEPARTURES A/TERMINAL
C/INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS/SHORT TERM PARKING A/ARRIVALS A go
0.8 mi 1.2 mi 3. Take
8 mi 9.2 mi 4. Take
14.4 mi 5. Take
LEFT ramp onto CA-87 S toward US-101/SKYPORT DR go
LEFT ramp onto CA-85 S toward #1A/GILROY go 5.2 mi
LEFT exit #1A/LOS ANGELES onto US-101 S go 3.5 mi 17.9 mi
6. Take exit #373/BAILEY AVENUE go 0.3 mi 18.2 mi 7. Turn
RIGHT on
BAILEY AVE go 3.2 mi 21.4 mi 8. Arrive at MCKEAN RD & BAILEY AVE, SAN
JOSE go < 0.1 mi 21.4 mi
MCKEAN RD & BAILEY AVE, SAN JOSE, CA 95141
Points of interest: Each time rain is forecast, Calero Reservoir (Capacity 9,934 acre-feet)
receives cross channel flow from the Almaden Reservoir (Capacity 1,586 acre-feet).
3
Stop 3. New Almaden Mining Museum and Mine Hill (Address (nearest Cross
street): Alamitos Road and Cinnabar Hills Drive, San Jose, ca.
2 pm -4:00 pm (2 hours)
How to get there from stop 2:
MCKEAN RD & BAILEY AVE, SAN JOSE, CA 95141 1. Start on MCKEAN RD
(at MCKEAN RD & BAILEY AVE in SAN JOSE) going toward COUNTRY VIEW
DR go 4.1 mi 4.1 mi 2. Turn
LEFT on MCKEAN RD go 0.4 mi 4.5 mi 3. Turn
LEFT on ALMADEN RD go 2.4 mi 6.8 mi 4. Continue on ALAMITOS RD go
0.3 mi 7.1 mi 5. Arrive at ALAMITOS RD & CINNABAR HILLS DR, SAN JOSE
go < 0.1 mi 7.1 mi
95120
ALAMITOS RD & CINNABAR HILLS DR, SAN JOSE, CA
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
Year
1940
1930
1920
1910
1900
1890
1880
1870
1860
0.0
1850
Annual Production
(Million kg)
Points of interest. Largest producer of Hg in North America; Peak Production 1865: 1.6
million kg; Total Production: 1845 – 1975: 38 million kg
Guadalupe Tour
Lester McKee, SFEI
Stop 4: Jacques Gulch. Address: Nearest Cross Street Alamitos rd and Hicks road,
san jose, ca
4:15 pm (15 minutes)
How to get there from stop 3: Drive west on Alamitos Creek road until you reach Hicks
road. Park with Jacques Gulch (Creek) on your right.
Points of interest. Observe the calcines in the bank and terrace deposits of the Gulch
(Creek).
5
Stop 5: Senador Mines and M (Nearest cross streets: McAbee rd and whispering
pines dr., san jose, ca
4:45 pm (1 hour)
How to get there from stop 4: Drive Hicks road past the Guadalupe Reservoir (capacity
3,415 acre-feet)
ALAMITOS RD & HICKS RD, SAN JOSE, CA 95120 1. Start on HICKS RD (at
ALAMITOS RD & HICKS RD in SAN JOSE) going toward MT UMUNHUM RD go
7.9 mi 7.9 mi 2. Turn
RIGHT on CAMDEN AVE go 1.2 mi 9.1 mi 3. Turn
RIGHT on SKYFARM DR go 0.4 mi 9.5 mi 4. Turn
RIGHT on MCABEE RD go
0.1 mi 9.6 mi 5. Arrive at MCABEE RD & WHISPERING PINES DR, SAN JOSE
go < 0.1 mi 9.6 mi
95120
MCABEE RD & WHISPERING PINES DR, SAN JOSE, CA
Points of interest. Extensive remediation of tailing piles and creek regarding. Only part
of the mining area where Hg was associated with pyrite. Rest of the mines carbonate
minerals dominate. SFEI and the Park District have collected Hg concentration data here.
"McAbbee Ck below Senador Mine"
Total Hg (ng/L)
100,000
10,000
1,000
y = 8.16x
R2 = 0.98
100
10
1
1
10
100
TSS/SSC (mg/L)
1,000
10,000
Guadalupe Tour
Lester McKee, SFEI
Stop 6 (optional): Alamitos Creek at Graystone Lane (Park on Camden Ave)
6 pm (15 minutes)
How to get there from stop 5:
MCABEE RD & WHISPERING PINES DR, SAN JOSE, CA 95120 1. Start on
MCABEE RD (at MCABEE RD & WHISPERING PINES DR in SAN JOSE) going
toward WHITBOURNE DR go 0.6 mi 0.6 mi 2. Bear
RIGHT on CAMDEN AVE
go 1.5 mi 2.1 mi 3. Arrive at CAMDEN AVE & GRAYSTONE LN, SAN JOSE go <
0.1 mi 2.1 mi
CAMDEN AVE & GRAYSTONE LN, SAN JOSE, CA 95120
Points of interest. Location of Park District and SFEI sampling as well as SCVWD
discharge gauge (taken over from USGS). Walk up the creek 200-400 meters and note
the calcines in the bar deposits.
Alamitos Creek (all locations)
Total Hg (ng/L)
1,000,000
100,000
10,000
y = 58.25x
R2 = 0.97
1,000
100
10
1
1
10
100
TSS or SSC (mg/L)
7
1,000
10,000
Stop 7 (Optional). Guadalupe River at Foxworthy (address: Old Almaden Road and
Foxworthy Ave, San Jose, CA 95136).
6:30 pm (15 minutes)
How to get there from stop 6:
CAMDEN AVE & GRAYSTONE LN, SAN JOSE, CA 95120 1. Start on CAMDEN
AVE (at CAMDEN AVE & GRAYSTONE LN in SAN JOSE) going toward
FIFEWOOD CT go 0.6 mi 0.6 mi 2. Turn
RIGHT on ALMADEN EXPY(CR-G8
N) go 4.2 mi 4.8 mi 3. Turn
RIGHT on FOXWORTHY AVE go 0.1 mi 4.9 mi 4.
Arrive at OLD ALMADEN RD & FOXWORTHY AVE, SAN JOSE go < 0.1 mi 4.9
mi
OLD ALMADEN RD & FOXWORTHY AVE, SAN JOSE, CA 95136
Points of interest: SCVWD and USGS have been collecting turbidity, SSC, and Hg data
at this location since WY 2008. This is a potential sampling location for Hg. No Hg data
to-date.