[4] To date, the reservoir has never filled to capacity, with a record high of 402,258 acre-feet (496,178 dam3), 29.4% of full pool, on June 22, 1987.

[5] The dam's primary purpose is flood control, in addition to irrigation and municipal water storage, and hydroelectric generation.

Limited flood control operations began in 1962 and the dam was completed on February 5, 1963, at a cost of $21.2 million.

In 1974 the city of Albuquerque petitioned the USACE for the regular storage of up to 200,000 acre-feet (250,000 dam3) in the reservoir as part of the San Juan–Chama Project.

In 1990 a small power station was constructed at the dam base providing a capacity of 13.5 megawatts (MW).