Falcon Lake Water Level Today - 261.92 ft, 22.0% Full

Falcon Dam · Rio Grande · Texas / Tamaulipas (US–Mexico) - updated daily from official gauges

Western Reservoir Conditions·Daily·No. 47·Tuesday, September 8, 2026·Latest reading September 7, 2026

• Falcon Lake is 22.0% full - very low on this site's capacity scale - as of September 7, 2026. Surface elevation 261.92 feet, storage 344,258 acre-feet (capacity basis 1,562,367 acre-feet), per Texas Water Development Board data.
• That elevation is its highest September reading since 2020, and 26.80 feet above its record low of 235.12 ft (February 16, 1957, the lowest since the reservoir first filled), in a daily record going back to August 23, 1953 (TWDB's period of record for this reservoir).
• Storage is 42% of the September 7 average across 74 years of record.
• Falcon Lake is falling: elevation changed -0.55 ft over the past week, -2.49 ft over the past month, and +8.07 ft over the past year, per Texas Water Development Board data.

Falcon Lake has risen 8.07 feet in twelve months, to 42% of its September 7 storage average.

Falcon Lake vs its record low

In the daily record used by this site (going back to August 23, 1953 (TWDB's period of record for this reservoir)), Falcon Lake's lowest surface elevation since it first filled (first near-full reading 1954) was 235.12 feet on February 16, 1957, when storage was 130,036 acre-feet. As of September 7, 2026, Falcon Lake is at 261.92 feet - 26.80 feet above that record. The record high in the same series was 309.28 ft on July 18, 2010.

Falcon Lake storage in context

Falcon Lake water level, past 12 months

22.0% full at the latest reading - across the past 12 months it ranged from 14.9% (November 23, 2025) to 27.8% (July 25, 2026). Percent full is storage against the 1,562,367-acre-foot capacity basis, not a share of the elevation plotted above.

Falcon Lake elevation, full record

22.0% full at the latest reading - across the storage record since August 23, 1953 it ranged from 0.2% (August 23, 1953) to 99.3% (February 27, 2011). Percent full is storage against the 1,562,367-acre-foot capacity basis, not a share of the elevation plotted above. Every percentage here is measured against today's capacity basis; a reservoir's surveyed capacity changes as sediment accumulates behind the dam, so early-record percentages are indicative rather than exact.

Last 14 daily readings

Frequently asked questions

What is the water level of Falcon Lake today?

As of September 7, 2026, Falcon Lake's surface elevation is 261.92 feet, with 344,258 acre-feet in storage - 22.0% of the 1,562,367 acre-foot capacity basis. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

How full is Falcon Lake?

Falcon Lake is 22.0% full as of September 7, 2026. Its storage is 42% of the September 7 average across its record since 1953. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

When was Falcon Lake last full?

Falcon Lake was last at or above 95% of its 1,562,367 acre-foot capacity basis on March 31, 2011. As of September 7, 2026 it is 22.0% full. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

Is Falcon Lake rising or falling?

Falcon Lake is falling: its elevation changed -0.55 feet over the week ending September 7, 2026, -2.49 ft over the past month, and +8.07 feet over the past year. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

What was Falcon Lake's lowest water level on record?

Falcon Lake's lowest surface elevation since it first filled (its first near-full reading in this series is from 1954) was 235.12 feet on February 16, 1957, per the daily record used by this site. As of September 7, 2026 the reservoir is 26.80 feet above that record low.

About this gauge

Falcon Lake (Falcon International Reservoir) on the Rio Grande below Laredo is operated by the International Boundary and Water Commission and shared by the United States and Mexico.

Operator

Texas Water Development Board (Water Data for Texas)

Station

falcon

Measurements

Daily water level and conservation storage

Dam

Falcon Dam

River

Rio Grande

State

Texas / Tamaulipas (US–Mexico)

Coordinates

26.5584, -99.1636 (USGS NWIS site 08461200 (NAD83))

Full pool reference

301.2 ft

Capacity basis

1,562,367 acre-feet (Water Data for Texas (TWDB) conservation capacity)

Period of record

August 23, 1953 (TWDB's period of record for this reservoir)

Status

Provisional - subject to revision by the reporting agency

Update cadence

Daily

TWDB reports conservation storage against a conservation capacity that is restated as new volumetric surveys are completed, so a percent-full figure here can change without the water level changing. TWDB's methodology page is linked in the notes below.

Download the daily CSV (date, elevation ft, storage AF) or see all data downloads.

Other reservoirs tracked

Texas & Rio Grande: Lake Travis, Lake Buchanan, Canyon Lake, Amistad Reservoir, Elephant Butte Reservoir.
Also: Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Lake Mohave, Lake Havasu, Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Navajo Reservoir, Shasta Lake, Lake Oroville, Folsom Lake, Lake Berryessa, New Melones Lake, Trinity Lake, Don Pedro Reservoir, San Luis Reservoir.