Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area

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Coordinates: 37°34′37″N 122°0′23″W / 37.57694°N 122.00639°W / 37.57694; -122.00639
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

37°34′37″N 122°0′23″W / 37.57694°N 122.00639°W / 37.57694; -122.00639

Quarry Lakes
A view of Mission Peak from Lago Los Osos.
Map
TypeRegional park
LocationFremont, California
Area471 acres
Created1997-2000
Operated byEast Bay Regional Parks
Websitehttp://www.ebparks.org/parks/quarry_lakes

Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area is a

gravel quarry. When water purchased by the public for groundwater recharge of the Niles Cone flooded the gravel pits, the gravel harvesters began to daily pump the seeping water down Alameda Creek into San Francisco Bay. The Alameda County Water District acquired the quarry after the pumping was declared to be an illegal waste
in 1976.

The Park is located roughly between Centerville and Niles. It is bounded to the northeast by the train tracks of the BART system, and to the south and west by Alameda Creek.

History

As early as 1912, the Niles Sand and Gravel Company operated a gravel plant along the south bank of Alameda Creek in Niles, processing gravel and sand from the river bed for concrete production.[1] In 1954, the company expanded into the area now in the park, acquiring an operation previously managed by Black Point Aggregates.[2] By 1969, some of the gravel pits had been dug down to 120 feet below the surface, well below the water table. To continue extraction at this point, the company pumped the water flooding the pits out into adjacent Alameda Creek at a rate of five million gallons a day, enough to continuously supply 30,000 people.

In 1972, the Niles Sand and Gravel Company sued the

seawater intrusion from the San Francisco Bay and that the gravel pits would have flooded naturally even if the program were not in place, the court ruled against the company, declaring its pumping to be an illegal waste of groundwater.[3]

Between 1975 and 1992, the

restoration projects beyond 2017.[4]

Bodies of water

Fishermen at Horseshoe Lake.

Due to the important role the lakes play in groundwater percolation, only Rainbow Lake and Horseshoe Lake are open to the public for water contact. These two lakes are stocked regularly with

water contamination.[5]

Lago Los Osos and Willow Slough are open to nature observation, but water contact is not allowed. Two additional unnamed lakes are closed entirely to the public for use by the ACWD.[4]

List of lakes

  • Horseshoe Lake
  • Rainbow Lake
  • Lago Los Osos
  • Willow Slough

Wildlife

Quarry Lakes is home to over fifty species of

bald cypress. In 2010, a demonstration garden of native and drought resistant plants was started along Horseshoe Lake through a University of California extension.[7]

As one of few

salt marsh yellowthroats.[4]

Panorama of Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area
Horseshoe Lake in the Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area, with Niles' hills in the background.

References

  1. ^ Cement and Engineering News, Cement and Engineering News., 1912, pp. 338–339
  2. ^ Text of Black Point Aggregates, Inc. v. Niles Sand & Gravel Co. is available from: Justia
  3. ^ Text of Niles Sand & Gravel Co. v. Alameda County Water Dist. is available from: Justia
  4. ^ a b c "Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area". Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Which Fish Are in Which Lakes?". Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Quarry lakes Wildflowers" (PDF). Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  7. ^ University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. "Quarry Lakes Demonstration Garden". Retrieved 23 November 2015.
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