Falcon Dam ( Spanish : Presa Falcón ) is an earthen embankment dam on the Rio Grande between Starr County in the U.S. state of Texas and the city of Nueva Ciudad Guerrero in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas . The dam was built for water conservation , irrigation , hydroelectric power generation , flood control , and recreational purposes and as an international border crossing between Zapata and Starr Counties and Tamaulipas. Construction on the dam began in December 1950 and ended in April 1954 but it was dedicated by Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in October 1953.
23-622: The Falcon Dam was authorized by the Treaty relating to the utilization of waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande or Water Treaty of 1944 between Mexico and the United States . Construction on the dam began on 15 December 1950 and the reservoir began to fill on 25 August 1953. The dam was dedicated on 19 October 1953 and work was officially complete on 8 April 1954. By October 1954,
46-543: A deal for the new cycle by December 2023, however, Mexico refused to sign the new Minute due to domestic opposition in Chihuahua . In any case, it is unclear if Mexico can meet its obligations due to very low levels in the La Boquilla and Francisco Madero reservoirs. This article about foreign relations is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Falcon Dam Falcon Dam ( Spanish : Presa Falcón )
69-459: A new 5-year cycle. To expedite the negotiations on the primary issue ( surface waters ), the issue of groundwater was deliberately set aside. Article 25 of the treaty created a "minute system", a vehicle that allows rapid changes to accommodate water flow variations, environmental conditions, and technical accidents. Each "minute" is a result of negotiations performed by IBWC/CILA Commissioners. The minutes are considered to be interpretations of
92-684: A surface area of 87,400 acres (354 km ). The Falcon Dam Port of Entry is a port of entry at the Falcon Dam to the United States on the Mexican border. It is essentially a replacement for the former Zapata Port of Entry, which was situated at a bridge in the town of Zapata, Texas . When the dam was completed, the town was moved to higher ground, and the Zapata Bridge now lies at the bottom of Falcon Lake. In June 2010, U.S. authorities revealed that
115-467: A surface area of 87,400 acres (354 km). The Falcon Dam Port of Entry is a port of entry at the Falcon Dam to the United States on the Mexican border. It is essentially a replacement for the former Zapata Port of Entry, which was situated at a bridge in the town of Zapata, Texas . When the dam was completed, the town was moved to higher ground, and the Zapata Bridge now lies at the bottom of Falcon Lake. In June 2010, U.S. authorities revealed that
138-534: Is an earthen embankment dam on the Rio Grande between Starr County in the U.S. state of Texas and the city of Nueva Ciudad Guerrero in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas . The dam was built for water conservation , irrigation , hydroelectric power generation , flood control , and recreational purposes and as an international border crossing between Zapata and Starr Counties and Tamaulipas. Construction on
161-443: Is over-topped with a 1,300 ft (396 m) long spillway with widths ranging from 350 ft (107 m) at the top and 600 ft (183 m) at the bottom. The spillway is controlled by six 50 ft × 50 ft (15 m × 15 m) fixed wheel gates and can release up to 456,000 cu ft/s (12,912 m/s) downstream. The Falcon Dam supplies water to two different hydroelectric power plants, one on
184-451: The Los Zetas drug cartel had planned to destroy the Falcon Dam to terrorize the rival Gulf Cartel , which smuggles drugs in the area. Small amounts of dynamite discovered near the dam and a copy of a warning helped alert authorities. A larger U.S. and Mexican security presence in the area may have thwarted the attack that Los Zetas had reportedly warned civilians about on the Mexican side of
207-400: The Los Zetas drug cartel had planned to destroy the Falcon Dam to terrorize the rival Gulf Cartel , which smuggles drugs in the area. Small amounts of dynamite discovered near the dam and a copy of a warning helped alert authorities. A larger U.S. and Mexican security presence in the area may have thwarted the attack that Los Zetas had reportedly warned civilians about on the Mexican side of
230-538: The United States of America and Mexico defining allocation of Rio Grande water to the U.S. and Colorado River water to Mexico. The agreement was signed in 1944 as an instrument of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). The agreement is a subject to frequent changes, delivered through the so-called " Minute Process ". The agreement worked well for 50 years as a tool for peaceful resolution of transborder water management issues, but since
253-412: The 1992-1997 cycle: a drought had forced Mexico to reduce deliveries. However, the extraordinary drought was not declared at the time, so Mexico, still in debt, declared it unilaterally in 1999 and postponed the deliveries into the next cycle. The U.S., after an original protest, agreed in 2002 to roll over the deficit into yet another (third) 5-year cycle. The U.S. stated that international obligations have
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#1732890659432276-461: The 5-year accounting "cycle" (the concept was updated via Minute 234 in 1969 ). A declaration of an "extraordinary drought" allows for rolling the 5-year debt into the next 5-year interval. The treaty did not define a procedure for such declaration and does not allow rolling the debt over to yet another 5-year period. Mexico's accumulated water debt is written off once the reservoirs behind Falcon and Amistad Dams become full, with this event starting
299-580: The Mexican arm of the IBWC (CILA), and the Mexican National Water Commission [ es ] (CONAGUA). Per the treaty, the countries have the following entitlements: A special provision ensures that the US 1 ⁄ 3 share of the flow from the Mexican tributaries "shall not be less, as an average ... than 350 000 acre-feet annually". The first major problem with the treaty surfaced in
322-529: The Mexican side and another on the U.S. side. Each power plant contains 3 x 10.5 MW Francis turbine generators for a combined total of 63 MW. Each power plant also receives water from the reservoir via 4 x 13 ft (4 m) diameter penstocks . The two extra penstocks are for an additional generator if needed. The Falcon Dam created the Falcon International Reservoir that has a volume of 2,645,646 acre⋅ft (3.263356 × 10 m ) and
345-454: The Mexican side and another on the U.S. side. Each power plant contains 3 x 10.5 MW Francis turbine generators for a combined total of 63 MW. Each power plant also receives water from the reservoir via 4 x 13 ft (4 m) diameter penstocks . The two extra penstocks are for an additional generator if needed. The Falcon Dam created the Falcon International Reservoir that has a volume of 2,645,646 acre⋅ft (3.263356 × 10 m) and
368-471: The border. Treaty relating to the utilization of waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande The Treaty relating to the utilization of waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande (also known as Treaty on Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande or 1944 Water Treaty ) is a cooperative water agreement between
391-554: The dam began in December 1950 and ended in April 1954 but it was dedicated by Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in October 1953. The Falcon Dam was authorized by the Treaty relating to the utilization of waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande or Water Treaty of 1944 between Mexico and the United States . Construction on
414-588: The dam began on 15 December 1950 and the reservoir began to fill on 25 August 1953. The dam was dedicated on 19 October 1953 and work was officially complete on 8 April 1954. By October 1954, the dam's hydroelectric power station began to produce electricity. The Falcon Dam is a 150 ft (46 m) high and 26,294 ft (8,014 m) long earthen embankment dam . The dam is made of 12,600,000 cu yd (9,633,391 m ) of earth-fill, 282,000 cu yd (215,604 m ) of concrete and 10,300 short tons (9,344 t) of reinforced steel . The center of
437-453: The dam is over-topped with a 1,300 ft (396 m) long spillway with widths ranging from 350 ft (107 m) at the top and 600 ft (183 m) at the bottom. The spillway is controlled by six 50 ft × 50 ft (15 m × 15 m) fixed wheel gates and can release up to 456,000 cu ft/s (12,912 m /s) downstream. The Falcon Dam supplies water to two different hydroelectric power plants, one on
460-400: The dam's hydroelectric power station began to produce electricity. The Falcon Dam is a 150 ft (46 m) high and 26,294 ft (8,014 m) long earthen embankment dam . The dam is made of 12,600,000 cu yd (9,633,391 m) of earth-fill, 282,000 cu yd (215,604 m) of concrete and 10,300 short tons (9,344 t) of reinforced steel . The center of the dam
483-440: The end of the 20th century, Mexico's deliveries to the U.S. have at times come up short. The agreement defined the composition of the IBWC, including its current name and professional character (both U.S. and Mexican heads are to be engineers). The Commission objectives were set as follows: The annual cross-border allocations were defined as follows: Drought can be accommodated by lower deliveries that should be made up within
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#1732890659432506-520: The highest priority on the river, and storing the water in the upstream tributaries for domestic use is not acceptable. By 2004, Mexico delivered on 75% of its debt. The 2020-2025 cycle exhibited similar problems, with Mexico delivering just one year's worth of water (400,000 acre-feet ) by mid-2024. The previous cycle that ended on 25 October 2020 was also running with a deficit until a last-minute deal ("Minute 325", October 2020) lead to delivery of water by Mexico. The Minute 325 also envisioned signing of
529-589: The treaty, not amendments to it, and therefore do not require action of legislatures to become active: each government has a 30-day window to object, without such an objection, a minute becomes a binding agreement between the countries. Due to the minute system the treaty is considered to be one of the most flexible binational agreements in the world. Since 2022 the Rio Grande Minute Working Group consists of representatives from IBWC, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality , US Department of State ,
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