The National Weather Service shared photos on Friday that showed a recovering reservoir.
The pictures showed the water levels at Falcon Dam almost a month apart, and there was a notable difference.
A season of drought depleted water sources for the Rio Grande Valley area, raising concerns among local, state and federal leaders. Rain in the last couple of weeks, however, helped restore the Zapata-area reservoir which feeds water into the Valley.
On Friday, Falcon Reservoir was at 16% capacity, according to the Texas Water Development Board. A week earlier it was at 12.2%.
Upriver, Amistad Reservoir is now at 40.1%, up from 36.3% a week ago, according to the TWDB.
In one photo, an island that appeared in the middle of Falcon Lake when the water was low on Aug. 2 seemed to have disappeared by Sept. 8
Another photo showed the difference at the pier, with more water covering the lake’s edges.
“It’s a start,” the social media post from NWS’s account read. “Shown here are differences in water levels at Falcon Dam/Falcon State Park in five weeks (Aug. 2 to Sep. 8). Though perspectives may be slightly off, the changes are clearly evident. Still a long way to go, but no complaints for #rgv water users.”
It's a start. Shown here are differences in water levels at Falcon Dam/Falcon State Park in five weeks (Aug. 2 to Sep. 8). Though perspectives may be slightly off, the changes are clearly evident. Still a long way to go, but no complaints for #rgv water users. #water #txwx pic.twitter.com/FW5Wm1E1kX
— NWS Brownsville (@NWSBrownsville) September 9, 2022
Two more sets of photos focused on Falcon Dam. In one of the photos taken of the dam from a distance, areas that were dry on the lake on Aug. 2 were covered by Sept. 2.
The difference was slight in some parts. Another photo of the dam only showed a trace of water on Sept. 2 compared to the bone-dry surface on Aug. 2.
“A trickle is better than nothing!” NWS pointed out.
