HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — It doesn’t take long for the Valley’s main water supply to dip low when rain is scarce.
So far this summer rain is at a premium. Looking at the three major weather stations for the RGV it is easy to see the Valley is well behind for summer showers.
Brownsville is behind more than four and a quarter inches since June, Harlingen lags behind more than two inches, and McAllen takes the prize at more than five and a half inches behind for the three month period.
Less rain in the region translates into bad news for the Valley’s reservoir system, Falcon Lake and Lake Amistad. Both bodies of water are along, and fed by, the Rio Grande upstream of the Valley.
Falcon Lake is down to a mere 10% storage capacity. The lower lake lost nearly 9 feet of water in the last 90 days. Falcon was at 22% capacity three months ago. Lake Amistad feeds Falcon and is down 4% in the same time to 35% capacity, down more than two and a half feet.
This is not the lowest the lakes have ever been but unless more rain falls, throughout northeast Mexico and the watershed which feeds the reservoirs, the Valley could find itself in a real pinch soon.
