The purpose of the dam is water supply for irrigation, flood control and hydroelectric power production.

The dam supports a power station with two generators and a 19 MW installed capacity.

[1] Because of drought, the Álvaro Obregón Dam and others on the Sonora and Mayo Rivers were constructed in the 1940s and 1950s.

[3] The dam has an additional saddle dam 2 km (1 mi) to its northwest and along with a system of canals, it helps irrigate 83% of a 232,999 ha (900 sq mi) area.

[4] Because of drought in the 1990s and 2000s, 2004 was the first year that water from the dam's reservoir was not authorized for irrigation.