NEAR ROMA – Last week, Hidalgo County was named a “contiguous disaster county”, meaning producers in the county are eligible for certain emergency aid, coming from the Farm Service Agency.

The drought monitor shows dry to severe drought conditions running across the Rio Grande Valley. The lack of rain is affecting water levels in certain places, such as Falcon Dam, near Roma.

The international dam and reservoir serves several purposes, including providing irrigation, domestic and flood releases and generate electricity through the hydroelectric generating plant. Farmers and growers rely heavily on Falcon Lake.

As of today, the Falcon Lake reservoir sits at 31.6% full, compared to the same time last year, where it was 50% full.

Watch the video above for the full report.