Falcon International Reservoir facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Falcon International Reservoir
Presa Falcón
Falcon International Reservoir Location in Texas Show map of Texas Falcon International Reservoir Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Zapata / Starr Counties, Texas, United States; Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Coordinates	26°33′32″N 99°09′53″W / 26.55889°N 99.16472°W / 26.55889; -99.16472 at Falcon Dam
Type	Hydroelectric reservoir
Primary inflows	Rio Grande
Primary outflows	Rio Grande
Basin countries	United States, Mexico
Surface area	83,654 acres (33,854 ha)
Max. depth	110 ft (34 m)
Surface elevation	301 ft (92 m)

Falcon International Reservoir (Spanish: Embalse Internacional Falcón), commonly called Falcon Lake, is a reservoir on the Rio Grande 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Laredo, Texas, United States, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The huge lake is bounded by Starr and Zapata Counties on the Texas side of the international border and the municipality and city of Nueva Ciudad Guerrero on the Tamaulipas side. The reservoir was formed by the construction of the Falcon Dam to provide water conservation, irrigation, flood control, and hydroelectricity to the area.

The dam was dedicated in October 1953 by Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The dam and lake are managed jointly by governments of the United States and Mexico through the International Boundary and Water Commission, which was established in 1889 to maintain the border, allocate river waters between the two nations, and provide for flood control and water sanitation. The lake is named after María Rita de la Garza Falcón, for whom the town of Falcon (displaced by the creation of the reservoir) was named.

Fish and plant life

Falcon International Reservoir has been stocked with species of fish intended to improve the utility of the reservoir for recreational fishing. Fish present in the reservoir include largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and channel catfish.

The bass population is in decline, a factor which has reduced the number of fishermen and tourists coming to the lake. In 2012, Falcon Lake ranked first for bass in the United States; by 2014, the rank had dropped to number 12. Despite the threat of piracy, security on the lake has been enhanced to the point that State Representative Lyle Larson of San Antonio, a member of the House Committee on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, declared Falcon Lake, "the safest park on the border."

Alligator gar, large and heavy fish with a long lifespan, feed on the largemouth bass and can survive through droughts. In 2009, restrictions were placed on the harvest of alligator gar, but some area residents maintain that no regulations should be in place and that the gar must be considered as if they were rats and be removed from the lake.

On the shores of Falcon Lake are Texas wild olive (Cordia boissieri), Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens), hibiscus, mesquite thickets, huisache (Vachellia farnesiana var. farnesiana) and prickly pear cactus (Opuntia spp.). Greater roadrunners, collared peccaries, white-tailed deer, and black-tailed jackrabbits also exist within the park.

Recreation

Falcon State Park is 572.6 acres (2.317 km²) located between Falcon Heights, Texas, and Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, and is the southern end of a 98,960-acre (400.5 km²) International Falcon Reservoir. The park's main activities include camping, swimming, fishing, water skiing, and boating, with a self-guided nature trail. Bass fishing is particularly popular on the 98,960-acre (400.5 km²) lake.

Climate

Climate data is recorded near the southeast corner of the reservoir at 26°33′29″N 99°08′14″W / 26.5580°N 99.1372°W / 26.5580; -99.1372 and an elevation of 97.5 metres (320 ft).

See also

In Spanish: Lago Falcón para niños