Back to Map
FORMERLY USED DEFENSE SITE INSTALLATION ID: CA99799F590000

ALMADEN AIR FORCE STATION

los gatos, California

Cost So Far

$4.49M

Money already spent on the evaluation and cleanup of hazardous sites.

Expected Additional Cost

$1.27M

The estimated amount of money needed for evaluation and cleanup of hazardous sites at this installation.

Completion Date

2019

The date the DOD says cleanup of all sites was completed. Long term monitoring may continue after this date.

The Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS), Almaden Air Force Station (AFS; hereinafter referred to as ÒSite") is comprised of 117.79 acres on top of Mount Umunhum and Mount Thayer in Santa Clara County, California, and is approximately 4 miles... see more » The Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS), Almaden Air Force Station (AFS; hereinafter referred to as ÒSite") is comprised of 117.79 acres on top of Mount Umunhum and Mount Thayer in Santa Clara County, California, and is approximately 4 miles southwest of New Almaden, 12 miles south of San Jose, and 51 miles southeast of San Francisco, California. The Site is presently owned by the Sierra Azul Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) and is closed to the general public. The coordinates for the Site are 37° 09' 36" North, 121° 53' 59" West. (Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) « see less

2 Hazardous Sites

Below are the locations of hazardous sites associated with this military installation, according to the DOD. A site’s contamination may affect a much larger area, including public and private lands and the water supplies beneath them.

High Risk

Medium Risk

Low Risk

Risk Not Evaluated or Not Required

Response Complete

We haven't independently confirmed the location of every site. If you notice a site placed at the incorrect location, please contact us.

Not all sites in the DOD data include location information, so there may be sites listed below that are missing from the map. The risk level of a site refers to a relative risk assessment made by the DOD to prioritize the cleanup of sites.

1 Active Site

Sites where military cleanup actions are still ongoing. The risk level of a site refers to a relative risk assessment made by the DOD, which prioritizes the cleanup of sites that pose greatest threat to safety, human health, and the environment.

Site ID: 01HTRW

SOIL CONTAMINATION

Sewage Effluent Settling Ponds

Cost

$1.28M

Cost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup

Final Cleanup Action

Sep 2019

This site is under ongoing monitoring until Sep 2020

Contaminated Areas

Groundwater: High Risk

Site is currently used as a communications area. Groundwater is the only source of drinking water for nearby residents. Site is located on the top of Mt. Umunhum and Mt. Thayer in a remote section of the Santa Cruz mountains.

Contaminants: Benzene 800.0 ug/L

Soil: Low Risk

Soil sampling results from CON/HTRW tank removal project determined that residual contamination is present. This future use for this site may include public uses.

Contaminants: Benzene 0.8 mg/kg

Sediment (Human): Risk Not Evaluated

Surface Water (Human): Risk Not Evaluated

See more details...

1 Inactive Site

Sites where military cleanup actions are complete, according to the DOD. Note that this status does not necessarily mean the site is no longer hazardous, as many of these sites are put under long-term monitoring or other restrictions.

Site ID: 02CON/HTRW

TANK REMOVAL

Underground Storage Tanks

Cost

Unknown

Final Cleanup Action

Sep 1997

Update (Dec. 5, 2017): We have changed the source of the installation cost data after being notified by the Department of Defense that they erroneously reported their own cost figures on the DERP website. We are now displaying the costs the department says are the most accurate available, from the Pentagon’s DERP database that we received in a FOIA request.

Note: The risk level of a site refers to a relative risk assessment made by the DOD to prioritize the cleanup of sites.

Data: All data comes from the Defense Environmental Restoration Program and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and will be released soon at the ProPublica Data Store. Read our methodology »