Brownsville braces for persistent drought as key reservoirs hover near historic lows

Brownsville braces for persistent drought as key reservoirs hover near historic lowsWith U.S. combined ownership at the Amistad and Falcon reservoirs sitting at just 26.4%, the Brownsville Public Utilities Board is preparing for a hotter-than-normal summer that offers little relief for the depleted Rio Grande system.

U.S. combined ownership at the Amistad and Falcon reservoirs stood at 26.4% as of late May 2026.

The Falcon International Reservoir remains near historic lows, with 100% confidence it will stay just above record lows through August.

The National Weather Service forecasts a hotter and drier than normal pattern for the region from June through August.

New AMI meter communication costs have forced the utility to reclassify related expenses from its capital program to its O&M budget.

The water supply outlook for the Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB) remains heavily constrained heading into the summer of 2026, as the region's primary Rio Grande reservoirs languish near historic lows. During a June 8 board meeting, Water Resources Administrator Jaime Flores reported that U.S. combined ownership at the Amistad and Falcon reservoirs stood at just 26.4% as of May 30. Despite a slight boost to the Falcon International Reservoir in late May, storage levels remain critically depleted. Flores told the board there is "100% confidence" that total reservoir storage will remain just above record lows through August. The National Weather Service outlook for the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Deep South Texas region from June through August anticipates hotter-than-normal temperatures with a slight lean toward a drier-than-normal pattern. While recent rainfall occurred in the region, Flores clarified to the board that the precipitation fell further south and downstream from the Falcon reservoir, preventing it from significantly recharging the watershed. In a separate operational update, BPUB staff noted that the deployment of new advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) has impacted the utility's operations and maintenance (O&M) budget. The meter services department recently ran 200% over budget due to the monthly communication signal costs required for the new AMI meters. Staff explained that these ongoing expenses were originally funded under the utility's capital improvement plan but were subsequently reclassified as O&M expenditures to properly reflect the recurring monthly bills.