Amistad Reservoir

Amistad Reservoir is a body of water on the border between Val Verde County in the United States and Acuña Municipality in Mexico, spreading over the Rio Grande where it meets the Devils River. The lake covers roughly 330 square kilometers (about 127 square miles) at full capacity and holds nearly 4,000 cubic kilometers of water, with slightly more than half allocated to the United States and the remainder to Mexico.

The dam construction started in December 1964 following a treaty between the United States and Mexico from 1944 about sharing the Rio Grande water. The project was completed in November 1969 and the reservoir began filling immediately afterward.

The name comes from the Spanish word for friendship and recalls the shared management of water resources by both countries. Visitors today see boat ramps and recreation areas on both sides of the border, used by locals from Texas and Coahuila alike.

Access to the water is available from both countries, with visitors needing to respect different border regulations depending on which side they choose. Water levels vary by season and rainfall, so it helps to check ahead if boat ramps and shoreline areas are accessible.

The filling of the lake in 1969 flooded the natural habitat of a small fish species called Amistad gambusia, which lived only in this area. The species disappeared completely by 1987 and is now considered extinct.