Amistad Reservoir

Amistad Reservoir Presa Amistad
Amistad Dam and Reservoir
Location	Val Verde County, Texas, United States; Acuña Municipality, Coahuila, Mexico
Coordinates	29°27′01″N 101°03′28″W / 29.45028°N 101.05778°W / 29.45028; -101.05778Coordinates: 29°27′01″N 101°03′28″W / 29.45028°N 101.05778°W / 29.45028; -101.05778
Type	Hydroelectric reservoir
Primary inflows	Rio Grande, Devils River
Primary outflows	Rio Grande
Basin countries	United States / Mexico
Managing agency	International Boundary and Water Commission
Built	November 1969 (1969-November)
Surface area	64,900 acres (26,300 ha)
Max. depth	217 ft (66 m)
Water volume	5,658,600 acre·ft (6.9798 km3)
Surface elevation	1,117 ft (340 m)

Amistad Reservoir (Spanish: Presa Amistad) is a reservoir on the Rio Grande at its confluence with the Devils River 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Del Rio, Texas. The lake is bounded by Val Verde County on the United States side of the international border and by the state of Coahuila on the Mexican side of the border; the American shoreline forms the Amistad National Recreation Area. The reservoir was formed in 1969 by the construction of Amistad Dam. The dam and lake are managed jointly by the governments of the United States and Mexico through the International Boundary and Water Commission. The name of the dam and lake is the Spanish word for "friendship". The reservoir is also known as Lake Amistad.

Amistad Reservoir is part of the Rio Grande, which forms its principal inflow at its northwestern end. The other major inflow is the Devils River, which enters from the north. The reservoir occupies a series of meanders between the two rivers; its outflow passes through Amistad Dam on the lake's southern side, from which the Rio Grande continues southeastward toward the Gulf of Mexico. Since it is filled by the Rio Grande (and its tributaries, the Rio Conchos and Pecos River), Amistad's drainage basin includes a vast area of West Texas, central New Mexico, southern Colorado, southeastern Chihuahua, and northern Coahuila.