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This Drought Has A Silver Lining

If they were growing dust, the farmers of the Rio Grande valley would not have problems. But they're not. And, they do.

Water is disappearing fast and nowhere is it going faster than the Falcon International Reservoir. Shared by the U.S. and Mexico, it is the lifeblood of the valley's farmers. But after four droughts in five years, it is disappearing.

People now walk where they used to swim.

As the drought continues to suck water from the Falcon reservoir it is draining life from community after community in the Rio Grande valley. But on the Mexican side of the river the drought is not threatening a town's life, it is actually returning it.

The town is called old Guerrero. Founded 250 years ago, it was submerged in the 1950's when the reservoir was created. Four years ago, when the waters started to recede, an 18th century treasure was slowly revealed. It was a church.

The Mexican government is restoring the church and is hoping to draw tourists.

But in Texas, farm consultant Jason Johnson will take all the water he can get. There droughts are measured in years not months.

"I'm not.. praying for a hurricane but it's going to take that type of level tropical storm putting water into the water shed to get us back on stable ground," said Johnson.

Once farmers called their home the magic valley. But today the magic, like the reservoir, is almost gone.

Reported by Jim Axelrod
©1998, CBS Worldwide Inc., All Rights Reserved

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