Rio Grande Faces Growing Threats as Drought, Low Reservoirs and Heavy Demand Test Region’s Lifeline

By Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2026 Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

The Rio Grande may continue flowing past Eagle Pass, but its appearance can be dangerously misleading.

Behind the moving water is a river system facing prolonged drought, depleted reservoirs, international water disputes, growing consumption and a community that remains heavily dependent on a single source for its drinking water.

The warning signs are increasingly difficult to ignore.

As of early September 2026, Amistad Reservoir near Del Rio was approximately 38 percent full, while Falcon Reservoir had fallen to about 23 percent of its conservation capacity, according to figures reported through the Texas Water Development Board’s Water Data for Texas system.

Recent rainfall produced dramatic improvements in several Central Texas reservoirs, but Amistad and Falcon received comparatively little relief. In August, Amistad contained approximately 695,000 acre-feet of usable conservation water, while Falcon held about 382,000 acre-feet.

Together, the two international reservoirs help regulate and store Rio Grande water relied upon by millions of residents, agricultural operations and industries in the United States and Mexico.

For Eagle Pass, the situation carries particular importance because the Rio Grande remains the community’s principal source of drinking water.

Planning documents for regional water improvements have identified the river as the only dependable surface-water source serving Eagle Pass and surrounding communities.

Water taken from the river must be treated before reaching homes and businesses.
Eagle Pass Water Works System General Manager Jorge Barrera reported in August that local consumption had risen from an average of approximately 8 million gallons per day to nearly 13 million gallons during periods of extreme summer heat.

That means Eagle Pass can consume nearly 400 million gallons in one month when demand remains at those levels.

The Roberto Gonzalez Regional Water Treatment Plant is being expanded from approximately 15 million to 19 million gallons of daily treatment capacity.

However, increasing the amount of water a plant can treat does not create additional water in the river.

Waterworks officials have therefore continued examining the development of groundwater as a second source.

Establishing a reliable alternative would provide the community with additional protection if drought, contamination, infrastructure failure or another emergency interrupted access to the Rio Grande.

The threat is not limited to water quantity.

The river collects runoff, sediment, wastewater discharges, agricultural contaminants, trash and other materials as it travels through two countries and several states.

Treatment facilities are designed to remove contaminants and produce water that meets drinking-water standards, but deteriorating source-water conditions can make treatment more complicated and expensive.

The presence of contaminants in untreated river water does not automatically mean Eagle Pass tap water is unsafe. Drinking water is treated, tested and monitored under state and federal requirements.

However, the condition of the source remains important because every local household ultimately depends on the system’s ability to draw and treat that water.

International politics add another layer of uncertainty.

Under the 1944 Water Treaty, Mexico must provide the United States with an average of 350,000 acre-feet annually from designated Mexican tributaries over five-year accounting cycles. Drought and disagreements over deliveries have repeatedly strained relations between the two countries.

In February 2026, officials announced an agreement under which Mexico would seek to provide a minimum of 350,000 acre-feet annually while continuing efforts to address outstanding water obligations.

Actual deliveries, however, remain affected by rainfall, reservoir storage and water demands inside Mexico.

International agreements alone cannot eliminate the effects of prolonged drought, extreme heat, increasing consumption and limited reservoir inflows.

The Rio Grande is not expected to disappear from Eagle Pass tomorrow, and there has been no announcement that the community is about to lose drinking water.

Nevertheless, the evidence points to a river system under mounting stress.

Low reservoir levels, extreme temperatures, growing demand, pollution risks and dependence on international water deliveries have created a warning that should not be dismissed.

For Eagle Pass, protecting the Rio Grande is not merely an environmental concern. It is a matter of public health, economic development and survival.

Every home, hospital, school, restaurant and business needs water. Without a dependable supply, community growth eventually reaches a wall.

The river flowing beside Eagle Pass has sustained generations on both sides of the border. The question facing today’s leaders is whether enough will be done to ensure it can sustain the generations still to come.