Falcon International Reservoir

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Falcon International Reservoir
Presa Falcón
Location Zapata / Starr counties, Texas, USA; and Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Coordinates 26°33′32″N 99°09′53″W / 26.55889°N 99.16472°W / 26.55889; -99.16472Coordinates: 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: Presa Falcón), commonly called Falcon Lake, is a reservoir on the Rio Grande 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Laredo, Texas, USA, 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 of the border. 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 by Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines and US President Dwight D. Eisenhower in October 1953. 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.

On the shores of Falcon Lake there 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 are also within the park.[1]

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 and a self-guided nature trail. Bass fishing is particularly popular on the 98,960-acre (400.5 km2) lake.

Piracy

In May 2010, Los Zetas pirates on the lake claiming to be Mexican Federal Police committed at least three armed robberies. The pirates boarded U.S. boats and demanded either weapons, drugs, or money. Fear of robbery has since dissuaded U.S. fishers from the lake.[2]

In June 2010, U.S. authorities also revealed a plot by Los Zetas to destroy the Falcon Dam.

On September 30, 2010, David Hartley and his wife Tiffany, from McAllen, Texas, were in Mexican waters riding jet skis back from Mexico when they were allegedly chased by two boats containing about six gunmen. The Zapata County Sheriff said the woman escaped and reported that her husband was shot. He is missing and feared dead.[3]

On October 12, 2010, Commander Rolando Flores, the lead Mexican investigator for the David Hartley disappearance case, was beheaded by Mexican drug cartel members and sent in a suitcase to the Mexican military.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Falcon Dam". Texas Parks and Wildlife. 
  2. ↑ William Booth (May 30, 2010). "Mexican pirates attack Texas fishermen on Falcon Lake, which straddles border". Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-10-13. 
  3. ↑ Weber, Paul J. (September 30, 2010). "Sheriff: US man on jet ski shot in Mexican waters". Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-10-13. 
  4. ↑ Divina Mims, Eduardo Aragon, Ed Lavandera and Nick Valencia (October 13, 2010). "Mexican investigator in Falcon Lake case beheaded, officials say". CNN. Retrieved 2010-10-13. 

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.