Drought Tour Pt3: Guadalupe Creek Trail, Perc. Ponds, 8/18/21 by Ronald Horii
This is a continuation of my drought tour of the Guadalupe River watershed in the Almaden Valley. After touring the grounds of Valley Water's headquarters, I crossed Almaden Expressway to the start of the Guadalupe Creek Trail, next to Chris Hotts Park. The Guadalupe Creek Trail, not to be confused with the Guadalupe River Trail, runs from Almaden Expressway to Singletree Way. It's a wide gravel service road that runs between Guadalupe Creek and percolation ponds. Google Maps calls them the Los Capitancillos Ponds and the Old Almaden Winery Ponds. I don't know if that's their official names, but I'll use them. There are 5 Old Almaden Winery Ponds. The Almaden Winery used to be next to them. The winery is gone, but Almaden Winery Park recalls it. East of Meridian Ave. are the 6 Los Capitancillos Ponds. The ponds are interconnected. Water flows into the westernmost of the Old Almaden Winery Ponds, Each pond then overflows into the succeeding pond to the east. The water in Guadalupe Creek comes from Guadalupe Reservoir in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Its watershed includes Mt. Umunhum in Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. The water in the percolation ponds can come from Guadalupe Creek or from imported water.
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Information and map of the Guadalupe Creek Trail: https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/2983/2058
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Here's a map of the existing trail: https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/20543/636687620934130000
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Here's the master plan for the trail, which shows a route going all the way to Almaden Quicksilver County Park: https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/20545/636687620936800000
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Here are the other parts of the tour:
Drought Tour Pt1: Guadalupe River Trail, Perc Ponds, 7/27,8/18/21
https://tinyurl.com/5dwc4heb
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Drought Tour Pt2: Valley Water HQs, 8/18/21
https://tinyurl.com/4h2htcyf
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Drought Tour Pt3: Guadalupe Creek Trail, Perc. Ponds, 8/18/21
https://tinyurl.com/4m76bjsx
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Drought Tour Pt4: Los Alamitos/Calero Creek, 8/18/21
https://tinyurl.com/9mtf8sn4
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Here are more of my pictures of San Jose Parks:
http://www.rhorii.com/#sjparks
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This shows what the creek and ponds looked like when they were full: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1345688595454659.1073742169.100000405933924&type=1&l=2992ec95f7