Falcon Dam

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.

Falcon Dam
Falcon Dam
Location of Falcon Dam in Mexico
LocationStarr County, Texas, USA / Guerrero Municipality, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Coordinates26°33′32″N 99°09′53″W
Construction began1950
Opening date1954
Construction cost$35 million (U.S. Share)
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsRio Grande
Height150 ft (46 m)
Length26,294 ft (8,014 m)
Width (base)35 ft (11 m) (Crest)
Reservoir
CreatesFalcon International Reservoir
Total capacity2,645,646 acre⋅ft (3.263356×109 m3)
Surface area87,400 acres (354 km2)
Power Station
Turbines6 x 10.5 MW Francis
Installed capacity63 MW
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